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This page is a news release published by Wrexham County Borough Council.
Content Author: pressoffice@wrexham.gov.uk

01 May 2009

Company fined for not complying with Planning Enforcement Notice

Bridge Street Property (Wrexham) Limited has been found guilty of failing to comply with Listed Building Enforcement Notices in respect of Burton Buildings, Bridge Street, Wrexham at Wrexham Magistrates Court.

In Court, Jonathan Edward Price and David Vaughan Roberts, company directors, pleaded guilty on behalf of the Company, but advised that they had tried their best to preserve the building and to comply with a Listed Building Enforcement Notice served by Wrexham Council.

The Listed Building Enforcement Notices were served on 9 August 2004 and an appeal against them was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate at Cardiff. The Notices required the Company to reinstate the shop fronts, including glazing the windows and reinstating leaded glass to the top portion of the windows. The Notices should have been complied with by July 2005, but while the shop fronts were reinstated, it was only recently that the glass was installed and the leaded glass has still not been installed.

The Court heard that the Council had sent letters and attended meetings with the defendants over a four year period. Despite this the Notice was still not been complied with. The Court took into account the mitigating circumstances put forward by the defendants, but found that they had failed to comply with the Notices and fulfil their obligations despite having received a substantial grant for the premises. Fines totalling £16,000 were imposed and the defendants were ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £728.

The Burton Buildings is a Grade II Listed Building and as such owners are required to maintain it in its original form. Despite the Council entering into protracted correspondence with the company, they had ignored this obligations.

Lawrence Isted, Chief Planning Officer, stated “The large fine imposed demonstrates that the Court found this matter to be a serious breach of planning legislation. This should be taken as a warning to potential developers who disregard the historic status of protected buildings in the County Borough.”

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