A TREDEGAR resident needs to dismantle unauthorised riverside decking by the end of November or face a fine that could go up to £20,000.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Planning committee on Thursday, October 3, councillors were given an update on the enforcement action being taken by the authority against Lesley Priestley of Brooklyn House on Dukestown Road.

The council started its investigation after receiving a complaint about the decking in June 2021.

In September 2023 an enforcement notice was served on Ms Priestley and she lodged the appeal with PEDW (Planning and Environment Decisions Wales) a month later in October 2023.

In August, a Welsh Government planning inspector visited the site and later that month rejected the appeal.

Enforcement officer Paul Samuels said: “The raised decking was established as being in a flood zone and in a site of importance to nature and conservation.

“That enforcement notice has now become effective from the date of the inspectors decision which was on August 28.

“We are juts awaiting compliance with that notice now.”

This means that Ms Priestley has three months from that date to remove the decking.

Earlier that week the Planning committee had visited a nearby site in Tredegar to help decide changes to the routes of footpaths.

Committee chairwoman, Cllr Lisa Winnett said: “I noticed when we had our site visit it was still in situ.”

The report was noted by the committee.

In documents lodged with PEDW, Ms Priestley had argued against the enforcement notice and claimed the decking should be allowed under permitted development rights.

Ms Priestley said that she followed advice from Blaenau Gwent council’s website and that as the decking would not be more than 50 per cent of the size of her property or raising the ground over 30cm (centimetres) she did not need planning permission for the decking.

Ms Priestley added: “I feel that it is unreasonable of Blaenau Gwent council to request that the decking is taken down as it is deemed a flood risk as clearly this is not the case according to records.”

Planning inspector H Davies visited the site in August and believed that there was no conclusive evidence to show that the decking is inside the residential area of the property.

This negates the argument that it could be built using existing permitted development rights.

Inspector Davies also noted that the majority of the decking surface is “well in excess” of 30cm above the ground surface.

Inspector Davies said: “No permitted development rights apply and no planning permission has been granted so the raised decking constitutes a breach of planning control.

“Accordingly, the appeal on ground fails.”