Torbay council tells people “PAINT YOUR HOUSE OR WE’LL TAKE YOU TO COURT!!!”
Flicking through the BBC news website I came across this interesting snippet. It would seem the powers at be at Torbay Borough council are trying to force homeowners to paint the outsides of their house if its looks scruffy. They are telling people that if you don’t do this, you will be sued! (At the tax payers expense of course). While obviously I will suggest the affected homeowners in Torquay get in touch with us (!) but I will leave that suggestion for now!!!!!! Heres what the BBC had to say.
Couple warned over house painting
Mr Lawrance said he was “stunned” by the council’s letter |
An elderly couple have been told to paint their privately-owned home or face legal action by a Devon council. Edgar Lawrance, 74, and his 79-year-old wife, Marianne, from Brixham, have been given until September to clean up their “dowdy” terraced property.
Torbay Council said it was trying to improve the area and had sent similar letters to residents on Bolton Street.
But Mr Lawrance said he was “outraged” he could be fined £1,000 or taken to court if he failed to comply.
He said he was stunned when he and his wife received two identical first-class letters from the council.
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Edgar Lawrance |
I always thought an Englishman’s home is his castle 
In the letters, the council said the external appearance of the couple’s premises was a “source of concern”, primarily because of the condition of the rendering, paintwork, windows and boundary walling.
“I always thought an Englishman’s home is his castle,” he said.
Mr Lawrance said he was planning to paint the house as one of the walls close to the road did get “a bit dirty” after a wet winter.
“I needed to have a roof leak repaired and had already arranged with my builder that I’d have the house painted at the same time.”
The council told Mr Lawrance it had sent two letters, because the house was jointly owned.
‘Grotbusting’ scheme
“They were sent first class,” he told BBC News.
“I was so angry to start with. All they had to do was press my doorbell and say ‘we’re from the council, can we speak to you about your house’.”
The council has defended its action and said it was modelled on a successful “grotbusting” scheme in East Sussex, where more than 350 buildings had been transformed under the supervision of the borough council.
It said the Hastings initiative had been running for seven years and was considered an example of best practice with many other councils keen to run similar projects.
The council’s letter said residents had 10 working days to inform it when work would be done and an enforcement notice could be served under section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act if “prompt progress” was not make.
The council wants the area brought up to an acceptable standard |
Residents not complying could be taken to court where they could be fined up to £1,000, with a £100 a day top-up fine until work is completed.
“This warning entails the specific areas of concern and requests the recipient to respond with an assurance that works will take place,” the council spokeswoman said.
“Failure to comply with an enforcement notice is an offence.
“It is an effective method used extremely well in Hastings.
“The main point here is that it is very early days, and the overall project will be judged in comparison with the success of Hastings.”
Mr Lawrance said he could not understand why a council, supposedly “strapped for cash” would employ a project manager from Hastings to wander round the streets of Brixham checking on people’s paintwork.
“The mind just boggles and it makes me wonder if he wasn’t left over from William the Conqueror’s time.”
Mr Lawrance said one of his neighbours also received a letter from the council - a matter of days after his home had been repainted.
from bbc news. (We do not imply we wrote this article)