Ivor Barette fought a seven-year battle with Planning – during which he was prosecuted and fined £50,000 for illegally renovating his listed building.
This week, the States Complaints Board upheld his complaint about the way he said he was ‘singled out’ for unfair attention from planning officials as he sought to renovate his ‘uninhabitable’ property – Broughton Lodge Farm.
A States spokeswoman said yesterday that Environment Minister John Young has not yet had a full chance to discuss the findings of the report with departmental officials.
The spokeswoman said: ‘We have only recently received the Complaints Board report, which focussed on the planning process rather than a breach of planning law.
‘The minister will review the report and its recommendations with the planning department management and consider improvements to procedures that minimise stress for the public.
‘A more detailed comment will be provided after the Complaints Board report has been considered in detail.’
The SCB recommended that Mr Barette be issued with a written apology due to the ‘excessive monitoring’ of his renovation works. Mr Barette has indicated that he will seek compensation for financial losses incurred as a result of the dispute with the Planning Department.
