JOBSWORTH council planning boffins have ordered a charity to apply for planning permission after it moved a small fence on its own land.
Hartlepool Men’s Shed say they moved the boundary to make room for parcel lockers in the hope of providing a source of income.
MP Jonathan Brash has blasted the council’s ‘bureaucratic nonsense’ Credit: NCJ Media
The charity claimed it had moved the fence around five feet further back within its own site Credit: NCJ Media
But after a complaint was made, the charity was told it will need to apply for retrospective planning permission – something the MP blasted as “bureaucratic nonsense”.
The Men’s Shed has also been warned enforcement action could follow if the necessary planning consent is not obtained.
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Though the charity said it had only moved the fence around five feet further back within its own site.
Chairman Stan Filipowicz said the charity was simply trying to make itself more financially secure.
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“We’re simply trying to make the Shed more sustainable so we can continue supporting the people who rely on us,” he said.
Mr Filipowicz said the lockers would provide a “small but important regular income” at a time when funding was becoming harder to find.
He added: “It’s frustrating that moving a fence a few feet on our own site has resulted in this level of bureaucracy.”
Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash has backed the charity and written to the council’s chief executive.
Mr Brash said: “This is exactly the sort of bureaucratic nonsense that drives people mad.
“We’re talking about a charity that has been serving Hartlepool for a decade and now has around 60 members.
“It supports people’s mental health, combats loneliness and gives purpose to people who desperately need it.”
He said volunteers had simply moved the fence back to make room for lockers which could help keep the charity going.
Mr Brash added: “If this is how we treat charities that are trying to become more financially self-sufficient, then something has gone badly wrong.”
Hartlepool Men’s Shed has been part of the community for ten years.
It now has around 60 members, including about 40 men and 20 women, providing friendship, practical activities and a sense of community.
A Hartlepool Borough Council spokesperson said: “Following an initial assessment, officers advised Hartlepool Men’s Shed that the proposed development was likely to require planning permission and provided information on the planning process. The organisation was also signposted to the Council’s pre-application advice service.
“The Local Planning Authority has a statutory responsibility to administer and enforce planning legislation fairly and consistently.
“Whether planning permission is required is determined by planning law and the specific circumstances of a proposal, rather than the status of the organisation involved.
“As such, the Local Planning Authority cannot conclude that planning permission is unnecessary solely because an organisation is a charity.
“At the time the complaint was investigated, the parcel lockers had not been installed and no breach of planning control had occurred.
“The Local Planning Authority provided advice based on the information available and remains willing to work constructively with the organisation should a planning application be submitted.
“Any such application would be considered on its own merits, having regard to planning legislation, the Hartlepool Local Plan and other material planning considerations.”
