A LANDLORD has hit out at a £2,600 fine given to him by Vale Royal Borough Council for having a shed on his land.

Winston Sherman was handed the fine last month when magistrates upheld an enforcement notice served by the council on his property on Kingsley Road, Frodsham.

Before Mr Sherman bought the property, a strip of land behind the houses had been purchased by the residents for use of gardens.

Mr Sherman said: ‘I believe the punishment was meted out for daring to stand up to the council.’

He explains: ‘When I bought the house the land had been sectioned off into plots for each house.

‘The land is Green Belt so before I bought the house I sought the advice of two planning officers to discuss the problems of the shed and the lawn.

‘I was told I could apply for retrospective planning permission and they even helped me fill out the forms.

‘When permission wasn’t granted, acting on a complaint by a neighbour, they came out to assess the situation and gave me an enforcement notice which I appealed against.

‘We are legally allowed to partition the land with a fence but without planning permission you aren’t allowed to plant anything, keep a lawn or put anything on it.

‘Since the hearing I have pulled down the shed, which was there before I bought the house, as it was too big.

He added: ‘I just think the whole planning process is ridiculous. If someone hadn’t complained about the shed the council would never have acted, they have admitted that to me.

‘I understand the Green Belt needs to be preserved but I think it needs to be explained in more detail when people attempt to purchase it what can and can’t be done.

‘The land has to be left to ‘grass’, it can’t be a lawn. Looking at the neighbours gardens they have gone to wilderness and are eyesores.’

A council spokesperson said: ‘Vale Royal Borough Council is pleased that the magistrates court found in

its favour with this case.

‘Changing the use of agricultural land can adversely affect the character of the open countryside and Green Belt and anyone who is considering such action is therefore urged to first seek our advice.’