A man is set to be ordered to tear down a fence put up without planning permission after neighbours claim he built around an area of woodland he does not own. Gregory Favier applied to the council for consent to keep the 6ft wooden fence around his home but planners said it created an "unacceptable loss of open space".
He sought planning permission retrospectively after the structure was reported to the council. This then attracted objections from some living locally who claimed land not belonging to Mr Favier's property had been encroached on.
Laura Collins, who lives in the Edinburgh suburb, said she often plays with her children in the woods next to the home and it was "obvious that a large area of woodland has been taken into private ownership without authorisation". Neighbours said the land was allegedly taken over and was mutually owned by dozens of local residents who had not given their permission, EdinburghLive reports.
Edinburgh Council said the plans would "result in an unacceptable loss of open space, and is likely to have a damaging impact on a number of trees that are either protected or worthy of retention".
Planning officers said despite the comments made about land ownership this "cannot be considered as material to the acceptability of the planning application" and that this was "a private legal matter".
They added: "The eastern section, including the driveway leading from the premises to Inveralmond Drive is designated within the adopted Edinburgh Local Development Plan as being open space and forms part of the council's existing green infrastructure. The erection of the fence and gates would result in a loss of this designated open space to private garden ground."
The applicant is now expected to be served with an enforcement notice ordering him to take down the fence, or he could receive a fine. However, he has three months from the date of the decision to lodge an appeal.
