MEMBERS of the public who tried to have their say as councillors considered ordering an “unauthorised” house to be pulled down were asked to leave a meeting.

The Forest Council’s planning was discussing enforcement action against the owner of a house being built at Joy’s Green.

Members of the public who asked to speak at the meeting were told they were not entitled to as it was enforcement matter and were asked to leave after interrupting the proceedings.

One woman said the meeting, which took place last Tuesday (June 8) was “very biased” and “totally unfair” and that “everyone has a right to speak”.

Planning committee chairman Cllr David Wheeler (Green, Newland and Sling) explained public speakers were not allowed when discussing enforcement issues.

The council was contacted about unauthorised building works going ahead on land at Coppice Road in Joy’s Green, in May 2020.

Building control officers visited the land and were told the building was being built on the site of a long since derelict cottage which was known as the Old Sweet Shop.

Officers contacted the landowner cautioning them against the alleged breach of planning regulations and advised that a retrospective application for planning permission was needed for work to continue.

However, no application nor a lawful development certificate has been submitted to them and subsequent visits to the site confirmed construction work was underway.

Officers visited the site in February this year and met two men on site who explained they were carrying out the building works and in March 2021, Western Power connected electricity supply to the building.

The owner suggested that the building could be used for agricultural or forestry purposes but the council says no evidence has been provided to support those suggestions.

The owner told the council that there had been a building on the site for upward of 200 years and they believed that planning permission had been established by long use.

However, planning officers said the previous building had been deemed derelict in the mid 1960s and its previous use had by then long-since been abandoned.

Council officers say in their report that the new building is considered to be “an incomplete dwelling house”.

“Its intended use is that of residential as confirmed by the owner within their building regulations application form and the payments made in relation to this.”

Ward councillor Sid Phelps (Green, Lydbrook) said the council’s reputation depended on the way it deals with planning breaches.

“There’s concern about this. The report is absolutely thorough and excellent in my view,” he said.

“I very much welcome it. This planning enforcement would deal with this in an effective and robust manner.”

But Cllr Thom Forester (Ind All, Mitcheldean, Ruardean and Drybrook) said it was a historic building that had been restored using the same techniques as it was originally built with.

He called for the committee to visit the site before making a decision, but his amendment was unsuccessful.

The committee endorsed the officers’ recommendation to issue an enforcement notice to remove the unauthorised building and return the land to its previous state.

The notice includes returning the rear retaining wall of the building to its original height of March 2020 and a short ‘outcrop’ of 1.5m to serve as buttressing.

Eight councillors voted for the proposals, three against and there was one abstention.