A homeowner has been fined after she said she 'cannot afford' to pull down an unauthorised house extension she had built nearly five years ago. Zareena Syed has been ordered to pay over £1,300 after appearing in court charged with breaching an enforcement notice, issued in 2018 in relation to the front extension built without permission.
Magistrates were told that since the extension was built, two retrospective planning applications that would allow her to retain the structure were refused, and an appeal to the government against these decisions were dismissed. The 63-year-old, from the Bradford area, said she did not realise the work needed permission.
The builders who constructed it also failed to inform her, she told Magistrates. However, she was told ignorance of the law and planning rules was not a defence.
