Former deputy Andrew Taylor, DPA number two until he stood down from the States in June, immediately said he would prepare appeals against three notices ordering him to correct numerous breaches of planning law at his home.
The notices related to development carried out without permission, or reinstatements which were required but not completed, over several years since Mr Taylor and his wife obtained permission in 2018 to demolish a dwelling and erect a replacement at a property in the Forest.
Planning officials dismissed a formal complaint about the development and use of the property in March. But investigations resumed after a member of the public appealed that decision and Victoria Oliver, president of the DPA before losing her seat at the general election, wrote to States chief executive Boley Smillie asking him to set up an independent inquiry into how her committee’s officials had handled the matter.
‘After three-and-a-half years of moving goalposts, it’s a relief that they have finally committed to a formal position. We will be appealing against the notices,’ said Mr Taylor.
The enforcement notices were served on Friday and published online yesterday.
They take effect on 9 January and give the couple three months to comply.
One notice orders landscaping to be carried out in accordance with the original planning permission granted seven years ago.
At that time, the couple was told that a landscaping scheme previously agreed must be put in place during the first planting season after moving into their home, and that any trees or plants removed or damaged in the following five years must be replaced with similar species.
‘During a visit to the land on 13 July 2023, the dwelling was noted to be occupied, however the landscaping scheme had not been completed in full. A further visit to the land on 30 April 2025 revealed that the required landscaping had not been fully completed,’ said the authority in the enforcement notice.
The landscaping which the couple have been told to carry out by 9 April includes ground surfacing, hard surface areas, tree and hedge planting and new earthbanks.
A second notice related to a timber structure constructed without permission on part of the property designated as a site of special significance under planning law.
The authority has ordered the removal of the timber structure in its entirety.
A third notice concerned timber steps installed without permission on land designated as a site of special significance and three moveable structures – a trailer, a vehicle and a horse box – placed on the same part of the property.
The authority has instructed the permanent removal of the steps and the three moveable structures and told the couple to stop placing moveable structures on protected land.
Appeals must be lodged with the Planning Tribunal within 28 days of the enforcement notices being served.
There are essentially four grounds of appeal, including that there was no breach of planning controls or that the enforcement notices were issued too long after the breaches, included excessive requirements, or allowed too little time for breaches to be corrected.
No decision yet if there will be an independent inquiry
No decision has been made about whether there will be an independent inquiry into how planning officials handled development applications by their former vice-president Andrew Taylor.
The four other members of the previous Development & Planning Authority, led by president Victoria Oliver, wrote to States chief executive Boley Smillie in March asking him to set up an external review.
They wanted an investigation into claims made by a member of the public that planning officials had mishandled an application from Mr Taylor to develop a residential property tht he owns in the Forest.
The authority, which has a completely different set of political members following this year’s elections, confirmed that it had issued three enforcement notices ordering Mr Taylor to rectify breaches of planning law.
He said he would appeal.
Mr Smillie said he had considered the request and concluded that it was appropriate for the matter to be dealt with initially through the authority’s established procedures for investigating potential breaches of the law, and that was under way.
Prior to their request for an independent inquiry, the politicians on the previous DPA were assured by their officials that internal inquiries had found that Mr Taylor’s application was dealt with appropriately, but they remained dissatisfied and escalated the matter to Mr Smillie.
A formal complaint about planning officials’ handling of the matter had been submitted by a member of the public on 3 March.
A States official replied on 26 March to advise that the complaint had not been upheld following an investigation carried out by ‘a senior member of staff independent of the development and planning service’.
The complainant appealed that decision on 1 April. The DPA made no public comment after that time until publishing the enforcement notices yesterday.