Two eyesore gardens in Coventry have finally been cleared - with owners set to foot the bill

Two eyesore gardens in Coventry have finally been cleared - with owners set to foot the bill

Postby dutchman » Tue Mar 08, 2016 7:05 pm

The gardens in Wyken and Courthouse Green had been allowed to grow out of control for a number of years

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Two eyesore gardens in Coventry have finally been cleared and the council are set to recoup the cost from the reluctant owners who refused to do it themselves.

The owners of the properties - one in Wyken and one in Courthouse Green - have already been taken to court over their refusal to clear the gardens, which have been deemed “seriously harmful”.

And now Coventry City Council have took it upon themselves to clear the properties under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Officers from the council’s planning enforcement team initially inspected the properties in Wyken Avenue and Purcell Road in 2014 after they received complaints that both the front and rear gardens were overgrown.

During the first inspection in Wyken Avenue, council officers discovered the overgrown gardens were full of waste and vermin, and vegetation was overhanging on to a public footpath.

The property was also in a generally poor condition and the unkempt gardens were posing a risk of harm to the property’s neighbours.

The council team encouraged the occupier to clean up the property and gardens but nothing changed and an enforcement notice was served as the land was considered seriously harmful.

The notice required the gardens be cleared and that works also be undertaken to improve the appearance of the house.

The homeowner failed to undertake any of the work and was subsequently found guilty of failure to comply at Nuneaton Magistrates Court in 2015.

They were fined £1,000 and ordered to pay the council’s costs of £729, alongside a victim surcharge of £50.

Despite prosecution and numerous further warnings, the occupier failed to undertake any of the works and the council finally took it upon themselves last month to enter the land and undertake the works required as ‘works in default’.

The property in Purcell Road was also subject to a notice in February 2014 ordering the works to be completed by May 2014.

However, no works were undertaken and the owner was found guilty in his absence for non-compliance with notice at Nuneaton Magistrates Court in October 2014.

Despite warnings, the property owner failed again to undertake any clearing and maintenance works and was prosecuted again in May 2015.

Once again, the council moved in clear the property and charge the owner for the work.

Coun Hazel Sweet, chairman of the council’s planning committee, said: “We understand that it can sometimes be a difficult job to maintain a property, but this wasn’t about gardens that had got a bit out of control.

“These two homes were being engulfed by their gardens – front and back - and trees and weeds were spilling on to the pavements and their neighbours gardens.

“I hope this action sends a signal to other people – we won’t tolerate situations like this – and if we can’t work with people to find an amicable solution we will take action.”

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