Officers step in to improve eyesore Higham building

Council officers have stepped in to improve the look of a run-down building in Higham Ferrers.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Nov 2017, 16:09 BST
Updated 12th Dec 2017, 03:24 BST
The former shop before the boards were removedThe former shop before the boards were removed
The former shop before the boards were removed

Two large windows and a door of the former shop in High Street, which have all been boarded up for many years, have now been replaced.

East Northants Council issued a notice to remove the boards on the property, which is in the Higham Ferrers Conservation Area and attached to a listed building.

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The notice was ignored by the owner, so ENC exercised powers to carry out the works itself.

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Efforts will be made to recover the costs of the action from the owner of the property to ensure there is no loss to the public purseEfforts will be made to recover the costs of the action from the owner of the property to ensure there is no loss to the public purse
Efforts will be made to recover the costs of the action from the owner of the property to ensure there is no loss to the public purse

Council leader Cllr Steven North said: “ENC has a duty to protect the visual appearance of the district and has robust enforcement powers to do so.

“These will normally only be used when attempts at negotiating a resolution are unsuccessful, but our planning enforcement team is always on the case and we will always enforce when it is appropriate to do so.

“The building at 33 High Street had been boarded up for years, to the detriment of the appearance of the area.

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“Along with contractors, officers attended to remove the wooden panels and re-glaze one of the windows in compliance with the notice.

Efforts will be made to recover the costs of the action from the owner of the property to ensure there is no loss to the public purseEfforts will be made to recover the costs of the action from the owner of the property to ensure there is no loss to the public purse
Efforts will be made to recover the costs of the action from the owner of the property to ensure there is no loss to the public purse

“We will now proceed to recover the costs of our action from the owner of the property to ensure that there is no loss to the public purse.”

To report a possible breach of planning control, visit www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/planning.