Hartlepool Man facing prosecution for unauthorised work to a property without permission...

Documents from the Hartlepool Development Corporation reveal a prosecution is imminent in regards to unauthorised works conducted to a town historic building which was undertaken without permission.

19th December 2024

A Hartlepool resident is could be hauled before by the Hartlpeool Development Corporation (HDC) after its alleged he failed to restore a property back to its original condition following unauthorised modifications carried out without planning approval.

Its claimed Mr. Dareb Rezai has reportedly been informed by the Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC) that legal proceedings are likely to commence against him sometime in the new year. The legal action is said to have arisen after its claimed Mr. Rezai's removal of a dormer window at a property in the towns Church Street was undertaken 'without the required planning permission', with HDC officials detailing that the compliance period for reinstating the property has now long expired.

In 2023, Mr. Rezai reportedly submitted a retrospective planning application to Hartlepool Borough Council seeking approval for the removal of a timber front dormer window in the Church Street Conservation Area. However, after mulling over the plans Hartlepool Borough Council refused the application, arguing the removal of the dormer would cause significant harm to the designated heritage asset by erasing a key design feature integral to the area's historic character.

Mr. Rezai appealed the council's decision to the Governments Planning Inspectorate who took a similar view to the councils, in that the modification was indeed "out of character for the area". However, around the same time, planning jurisdiction over Church Street then shifted to the Hartlepool Development Corporation under the government's new planning framework, with The Planning Inspectorate ultimately rejecting Mr. Rezai's appeal, & upholding Hartlepool Borough Councils original decision.

Following this, the HDC then issued notice requiring the property to be reinstated back to its original condition, with recent reports presented to the HDC indicating that solicitors are now said to be preparing legal papers to prosecute Mr. Rezai for his unauthorised modifications as no action has reprtedly been taken to remedy the planning breach. The case is expected to be heard at Teesside Magistrates' Court sometime in the new year....

If convicted, Mr. Rezai could face a substantial fine, an order to restore the property to its original state, or both, with a failure to comply with the court order leading to further legal consequences, including imprisonment in extreme cases.

Two other cases are said to be 'At Investigation stage' in respect of alleged planning breaches across the HDC area.

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