Housing developers hit with enforcement notices over fencing

COUNCIL: Measures taken to protect trees at Lathro Farm estate

A pair of developers at a controversial Kinross housing site have been hit with enforcement notices by the local authority over the protection of trees.

Persimmon Homes and Springfield Properties have been issued with a fine and a warning respectively over a breach of conditions at the Lathro Farm estate.

Persimmon Homes, which is building 300 homes at the site, was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £1,000 after a fence protecting trees was moved.

The local authority served a breach of condition notice in 2017 relating to the same charge, and fined Persimmon when it broke the requirement again.

Springfield Properties, which is building 47 homes at the same location, was hit with a breach of condition notice by the council after it moved a fence put in place to protect trees.

Persimmon claimed its fence had blown over, and Springfield said its had been moved a short distance.

A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes said: “A breach of condition fixed-penalty notice was issued by Perth and Kinross Council on September 30 in relation to a panel of tree protection fencing which had blown over.

“Contact was made with the council’s planning enforcement officer and the fencing reinstated.”

Peter Matthews, managing director of Springfield Properties (central), said: “Temporary fencing had been moved two metres from where it should have been positioned, causing the working area of the site to be closer to existing trees than agreed.

“There was no damage to the trees, the fencing was moved back the same day it was brought to our attention and measures have been put in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

In June the local authority fenced off streets at the estate because they had been built by developers Persimmon Homes without proper consent.

Days later the council warned owners the properties had been unlawfully occupied without proper documentation in place.

A council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Perth and Kinross Council has taken enforcement action on two developments at Lathro Farm. We are in communication with the respective developers regarding these matters.”

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Perth and Kinross Council has taken enforcement action