A Ramsgate based company has been fined £1,000 for continually failing to clear up land they own in Margate.
Thanet District Council served a planning enforcement notice on Churchill House School Services Ltd., based in Rose Hill, Ramsgate, in August 2009. It required them to remove a large amount of rubbish from the site that they own in Alkali Row in Margate Old Town. The rubbish included burnt out vehicles, building rubble, domestic furniture and appliances.
The council was first alerted to the problem in January 2009 and spent the next few months trying to encourage the company to clear the land. After having no success, an enforcement notice was issued, which came into effect on 20 October 2009. It gave Churchill House School Services Ltd. a month from that date to clear the land, but the rubbish was not removed and no contact was made with the council about the site.
As a result, the council took legal action against the company, which was heard at Margate Magistrates Court yesterday (Thursday 15 April). The company was found guilty of the non compliance with the notice and was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £100 costs and the £15 victim surcharge.
Principal Enforcement Officer, Steve Albon, said: "Not only is this an eyesore site for local residents, but it's also located opposite where Turner Contemporary is being built. The last thing we want people visiting Margate in the future to see is rubbish like this littering a site. The council is determined to take action here to get this land cleared up and this court case is just the first stage of that action. If the rubbish isn't removed, there's every chance we'll be going back to court again. We want this problem sorted out and we intend to pursue this until that happens. This isn't the only site that we're working on. This land is adjoins the derelict Fort Hotel, which is also owned by the same company. The council is determined to tackle the Fort Hotel and the neighbouring Arcadian next door, as these are also eyesores on Margate seafront."
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