Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The owner of a Llanelli bar has been fined £2,000 for failing to comply with an enforcement notice to rectify unauthorised works at the listed building. Douglas Andrew Lewis pleaded guilty at Llanelli Magistrates Court to the offence under Section 43 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council. The court was told that on February 3, 2010, Lewis pleaded guilty to carrying out unauthorised works to a Grade II listed building, Stamps, the former Post Office in Station Road, Llanelli, and was fined £3,600 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs. The work involved construction of a rear extension, erection of a external galvanised steel staircase, erection of a new canopy within the rear yard, replacement of timber sliding sash windows with casement uPVC windows, cutting off the lower part of double panelled gates, construction of timber decking, and an accumulation of lighting, signage and aerials to the external ele...

A property company has been fined £4,000 for failing to put right unauthorised changes to Llanelli’s listed Park Congregational Chapel. Ammanford Magistrates Court was told that the chapel on the corner of Murray Street and Inkerman Street was listed as a building of special architectural and historic interest (Grade II) in 1992. It was built in Gothic style in 1864-5. Following the removal of an internal ornate timber door surround without listed building consent, the county council served an Enforcement Notice on the owners in 2008 to reinstate the surround. The owners were prosecuted for failing to comply with the Enforcement Notice, and having been found guilty were fined £2,000 plus £1,075 costs by Carmarthen Magistrates in October 2009. The council then extended the time limit for compliance with the Enforcement Notice but once again the owners failed to comply. There was a second prosecution and last week the owners Topaz Property Co. Ltd. were found guilty again and fined £4,00...

The owner of the listed Felin Wen mill in Llandybie has been fined for making changes without listed building consent. Nigel John Humphreys was convicted following a trial at Llanelli Magistrates Court yesterday of an offence contrary to section 9 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, namely the removal and destruction of mill machinery from the listed mill Felin Wen, in his ownership, without listed building consent. Mr. Humphreys had claimed the statutory defence allowed under the Act, that he needed to carry out the work for safety reasons and to preserve the building, and in an earlier hearing in November 2009 the magistrates found that the statutory defence had been proved, issuing a not guilty verdict. Following an appeal by Carmarthenshire County Council, the High Court determined that the Justices’ conclusion on the statutory defence was fatally flawed, and ordered the matter to be remitted to the same bench of justices. At the second court case, t...

The owner of a Carmarthen Listed building has lost his appeal against his sentence for failing to comply with an enforcement notice issued because of unauthorised works. An appeal by the owner of 51, King Street, Carmarthen, Michael Makin of Arbont, Llanarthne, against his sentence for offences contrary to Section 43 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservations Areas) Act 1990, was dismissed at Swansea Crown Court, Swansea on May 14. At the initial Magistrates Court hearing Mr Makin had pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an enforcement order issued by Carmarthenshire County Council with regard to unauthorised works at the Grade II* listed building. The magistrates fined him £6,300 plus £737.38 costs. Mr Makin appealed to the Crown Court against the level of fine imposed. At the first appeal hearing in the Crown Court on the April 14 the case was adjourned until the 14th May 14 to allow the county council to reply to a skeleton argument for mitigation put forward by Mr. Mak...