A 34-year-old man has been ordered to pay more than £25,000 after ignoring enforcement action and continuing to live in a property built without planning permission.
Liam Snowden was convicted at York Crown Court in January after failing to comply with an enforcement notice issued in 2020 by Hambleton District Council.
The court heard that Snowden bought land at East Field Barn, Deighton, near Northallerton and converted a former agricultural building into his home without seeking planning permission.
Two subsequent applications were submitted but both were refused, as were appeals to the Planning Inspectorate.
Following local government reorganisation, the case was taken on by North Yorkshire Council. In July 2024, Snowden pleaded not guilty at York Magistrates Court and elected for the case to be heard at Crown Court, resulting in a significant delay.
After a four-day trial before the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, Snowden was convicted earlier this year.
At sentencing in February, Snowden – who represented himself throughout proceedings – was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £25,029 in prosecution costs along with a £100 court surcharge. He must pay the total within three months or face 30 days in prison.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, said planning rules existed to protect communities, the environment and the integrity of the system.
“When individuals choose to ignore those rules and defy enforcement action, we will not hesitate to take robust legal action,” he said.
Cllr Crane added that the case demonstrated the serious consequences of failing to comply with an enforcement notice.
It is unusual for cases of this type to reach Crown Court. Cllr Heather Phillips, the council’s executive member for corporate services, said it was important that the authority recovered the substantial costs involved in bringing the prosecution.
She said Judge Morris had made clear the money must be repaid promptly and in full, and that Snowden would face imprisonment if he failed to comply.
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