Brandlehow demolition: accept the verdict

The Council is absolutely right to insist that the property developer who demolished the Grade 2 listed Brandlehow School Caretaker's Cottage start work rebuilding it immediately.

The developer responsible was prosecuted in November 2007; taken back to Court this March, ordered to reinstate the building to its original condition and pay over £30,000 in fines and costs. By the time the building has been rebuilt and his own legal fees have been calculated, the total cost of his folly will be getting on for £100,000. And that's excluding the cost of his actually buying the site in the first place. Yet despite these two Court experiences and the expense he is being subjected to, no work has yet been undertaken.

If being fined over £30,000 has been ineffective then further action appears necessary. If he fails to fulfil the obligations placed on him by the courts, maybe a further fine or a spell of community service is in order. Planning regulations exist to preserve and enhance our built environment. It is important that those responsible for enforcing these regulations are robust in their efforts in such open-and-shut cases like this.