Businessman ordered to pay out £40k+ over listed building offences

A Yorkshire businessman has been ordered to pay more than £40,000 in fines and costs for breaches of the Listed Buildings Act 1990, following a prosecution brought by Harrogate Borough Council.

Richard Sykes, director of West Parks Services Limited, pleaded guilty to six planning offences at Harrogate Magistrates Court last week (29 April).

The defendant had carried out extensive works to Copt Hewick Hall, a Grade II listed property near Ripon that was built in 1780.

His mother had acquired the house in December 2011, after which Sykes instructed and project managed the work.

Harrogate BC issued a number of warnings, saying that he did not have permission for the work. However, Sykes continued renovating the property over a 17-month period.

He was fined £26,010 and ordered to pay £14,000 in costs.

West Park Services and builder Nicholas Hull (together with his company, Thermotech Building Maintenance Limited) also admitted breaching the 1990 Act.   

West Park Services was fined £14,010, and ordered to pay £12,000 costs. Nicholas Hull was fined £2,660 and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs, while Thermotech were fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 costs.

Ian Saddington of Derrick Kershaw Partnership, who arranged for windows to be removed from the Gardener’s Cottage, a listed building in the grounds, is to be formally cautioned for his involvement in the works that were contrary to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

Dave Allenby, Harrogate’s Head of Planning and Development, said: “The Listed Buildings Act is in place to protect the historical significance of relevant properties. Richard Sykes, Nicholas Hull, and their respective businesses showed a flagrant disregard of this act through their actions.

“Mr Sykes decided to ignore repeated warnings from Harrogate Borough Council and continue with his renovation plans, while Mr Hull, undertook work when he was aware that the required listed building consent had not been applied for, let alone granted. The extensive building work which was undertaken took place over an extensive period of time, and resulted in the historic integrity of Copt Hewick Hall being seriously eroded.”

Allenby added: “It was important that Harrogate Borough Council acted swiftly to ensure that those responsible were prosecuted for their destructive activity. This case will also serve as a deterrent to people in the future who think they can take such action, without having to face any consequences. As this case shows, such behaviour will undoubtedly have severe consequences.”

According to the Harrogate Advertiser, Sykes’ legal representative, Paul Greaney QC, told the court in mitigation: “You are not dealing with a demolition or a house of the very greatest significance like Castle Howard, though we do not deny that it is significant.

“The drive was to return the hall to its former glory on behalf of Mrs Sykes, and to make the hall and its grounds authentic to its origins – not to turn it into some form of Premiership footballer’s pad. They had no intention of breaching the Act.”