Duo ordered to remove containers

Council officials have warned a duo to remove two storage containers from land in Highland Perthshire or risk receiving a fixed penalty or even being prosecuted.

Enforcement officers have told Alison McLeod and Ian Murdoch, both of Aberfeldy, to shift the containers at Cuil Farm by mid-January 2020 or they could end up with convictions and being fined at least £20,000.

It comes after Ms McLeod applied for retrospective permission to put the two containers at the farm for “equestrian purposes”last year but was unsuccessful.

A notice served on the duo earlier this month and published in full on PKC’s website states:“Without planning permission, two storage containers for equestrian purposes have been sited on the land.

“The siting of storage containers constitutes development which, in the absence of planning permission, is unauthorised and a breach of planning control. The council considers that the siting of the storage containers is presenting planning harm and is contrary to the council’s adopted Local Development Plan 2014 and emerging Local Development Plan 2019.

“The planning harm associated with the alleged breach of planning control is that the storage containers are having a detrimental impact upon the quality of place.”

The duo will now have to either appeal the enforcement notice with the Scottish Government by November 15 or comply with it and shift the containers by January 15, 2020.