http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/genera ... 4/030714_2



Another plank who thought he knew better than the law!!

Anyone got any before and after pictures so we can gloat over them.....

I saw one of the bungalows fenced off, must be that one. I should think they could keep the demolition team busy for years all over the south of the borough.

I agree, search out illegal outbuildings street by street and get the owners to pay for demolition and fines for planning breach. Ealing council need to do the same in Southall by all accounts.

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Lets be careful out there !

Fat chance... not with a rate - revaluation process in the offing.

Despite the widespread abuse of planning law when they can nail down the re-evaluation then all borough's with this problem stand to gain a very very tidy financial benefit in extra rates.

I worked a Southall fire station for many years and experienced many incidents involving beds-in-sheds as they are now known. Ealing council had the power but few resources to police planning laws. Some were very shoddily built with iffy electrics, gas supplies that could not be isolated and dont even get me started on sanitation arrangements.

The Council seemed impotent. One planner told me its not just a matter of not enough planning officers, it's the legal costs - including appeals. The LBE for example, were concerned that if they lost even a few per cent of cases per annum, the expense would be significant for the local hard up Council tax payers.

I saw a family of 8 living in what was effectively a double garage in which they ran a catering service making samosas and the like for local shops. A deep wok type pan cooked the fod until late into the night as kids slept in bunk beds around it. The fire was caused when the heat was accidentally left on the deep fryer as they all snuggled down to bed. They were very lucky to survive. Some locals weren't so fortunate. A man died in Park Rd Uxbridge in a storage shed behind some shops where he'd been living for ages.

But perhaps the worst example was an Asian businessman whose mum was living in his carpet warehouse in Alperton. There was a mezzanine storage platform in the warehouse. There was no access to the platform by stairs, as it was for pallet storage only. But that's where mum was lifted by fork lift truck every night and lifted out every morning. No way down until the morning. She had a light, a mattress, bottled water, a bucket and a mobile phone. Fortunately for her, the warehouse next door caught fire and shocked fire crews found the old girl when they broke in to check for fire spread.

Its a disgrace to allow vulnerable people to live like this. Often babies, toddlers and old people are dumped at the bottom of the garden away from the adults in the house, so and I am delighted that the enforcing authorities are at last beginning to enforce

There are some sad tales out there SOT and it is criminal in the way some people are exploited like this. Fair too mention also that the increase in the cost of housing and rents also has it's part to play in this mess. Of course the demographic mainly involved in this practice will cite complicated planning rules and poor command of English as valid reasons permissions were not sought so they built anyway.

I would dispute however that the LA have started down the road of wholesale enforcement. In the many tens of thousands of beds in sheds across the West London boro's this is but one well publicised action and all of a sudden it is back slaps all round. Where is the evidence they are moving on others?

I wouldn't be in the least surprised that action followed in this case as the view of a local councillor was being spoiled.

Lets not be too polite about this, calling them beds in sheds is pussyfooting around the issue. They are slums illegally thrown together by racketeering 'landlords' preying on the vulnerable.

Such dwellings were supposedly outlawed way back in the 1950's/60's/70's but in recent years have become more widespread than ever, and it doesn't take a genius to work out areas where they are most likely to be found, nor those who are operating them. The law is being broken with impunity on a massive scale.

What I find most disturbing is that in these days of mass surveilance ( sp ? ) they are not detected and demolished far quicker.

A poor comparison I know, but as an example try parking illegally for a few minutes and see how swiftly that is dealt with by the authorities.

Spot on

I actually wonder how much they are bothered about this and whether a shed or 2 every now and again to please the locals is the ploy?

As I mentioned, they could wipe this out street by street quite easily. Once one is found it is demolished and no more building on that plot for say 10 years. Easily spotted by the various satellite images these days albeit a year late.

As I understand it they have to inform the landlord of an impending inspection giving them time to turn it back into a garage/gym

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Lets be careful out there !

The other side of the coin is if they do a street full of snap inspections and find say a dozen families with children living in these slums the enforcement action means the council become responsible for re-housing them.

Multiply that by how ever many there are and it becomes a considerable cost which has to be borne by the taxpayer.

The LA does not have a choice in this matter primary legislation means they have to act when families are on the street with no where to go even if they are here illegally.

Good point,, But you may find that a majority of those living in sheds with beds are illegal immigrants and as such should then be returned to their Country of origin.
Thus killing two birds with one stone...