A BOROUGH resident heeded advice and demolished his illegal outbuilding in a planning dispute with Hillingdon Council.

Mr Nemchand, of Orchard Road, Hayes, knocked down the extension at the rear of the house after losing a planning appeal and judicial review.

An enforcement notice was initially served in 2011 as the size of the extension meant Mr Nemchand had exceeded what was allowed by planning rules.

He appealed against this notice, which he lost, and the decision went to judicial review.

The decision was then referred back to the Planning Inspectorate, who ruled the extension must be demolished or made into an outbuilding which complied with regulations.

The extension was turned into an outbuilding but it was still too large and, when council officers explained to the owner he must either demolish it or reduce its size, he returned the building to the original extension, which had been the reason for the original enforcement notice.

They advised Mr Nemchand that his failure to comply could result in court action. In addition, he was told that, if he did not demolish the extension, the council would take direct action to demolish it under planning powers and seek to recover the costs.

An inspection last month showed the extension was still there, so the council started preparing to undertake demolition. However, a further check on July 8 revealed the extension had now been demolished.

Councillor Keith Burrows, cabinet member for planning, transportation and recycling, said: “It is a last resort but we will take action if residents continue to flout planning laws and they could end up paying a hefty fine if we prosecute.”