Planning row firm wins fine cut

K E Lunness Aggregates Ltd admitted they had not complied with a planning enforcement notice issued against their premises at Warp Farm, Moorends.

The company had been fined 10,000 with 316 costs by Doncaster magistrates, but appealed to a judge at Doncaster Crown Court who reduced the ‘somewhat high’ penalty to a 6,000 fine.

Simon Pallo, for Doncaster Council, said a warehouse at Warp Farm had been sub-let to another firm who used it for storing flatpack kitchen units after planning permission for a change of use had been refused.

Planning officers made many visits to the site and issued reminder letters about the enforcement notice because the warehouse was still illegally occupied.

The deadline of March 31 passed with no attempt to empty the building.

Patrick Buckley, for the company, said it was accepted they had not made ardent efforts to remove the tenant from the warehouse.

Although the turnover was about 1m, profit after tax was only 10,900. The judge reduced the fine because the company pleaded guilty and because of low profitability.