Folkestone and Hythe District Council reports that a landowner who failed to comply with a planning enforcement notice has been fined £5,000 after he continued to use the site for the storage of mobile homes, touring caravans, horse boxes, vehicle trailers and a boat between June 2017 and October 2023 despite not being permitted to do so.
The unauthorised use of the land was deemed detrimental to the character and appearance of the area as it was visually prominent in the landscape and from public vantage points.
Ronald Carpenter, of Whitehall Farm in Lydd pleaded guilty at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on 23 April 2024 and was ordered to pay costs of £200 on top of the £5,000 fine.
A Folkestone & Hythe District Council spokesperson said:
“Mr Carpenter financially benefitted by operating a commercial storage operation without the appropriate permissions and this was reflected in the sentence imposed by the court.”