Crane used to remove illegal shipping container from property roof
Hackney Council’s planning service has used a crane to remove an illegal shipping container from the roof of property in a residential conservation area.
The 3x3 metre container, which did not have planning permission, had been placed on the single storey building and was being used by the owner to store building materials.
Following complaints by local residents because of its appearance and the shadow it cast upon the street, an enforcement notice was issued by the Council requiring the owner to remove the container within a month. No appeal was lodged against the notice and despite repeated requests from the Council, the owner continued to ignore the instruction.
The property is situated within the residential area of the Northwold and Cazenove Conservation Area where the Council expects development to preserve or enhance its character and appearance. The Council’s Planning Service had to apply for permission to temporarily close the road so that it could bring in a crane, the first time such equipment had been used in such an operation, to lift the shipping container from the roof and remove it from the site. The Council will be pursuing the owner for the full costs of the operation.
The planning service will, when it considers it necessary to do so, take action against any property owner who flaunts planning regulations. Unauthorised development such as this only seeks to benefit a minority of individuals at the expense of the general well-being of the vast majority of law-abiding Hackney residents.”
