Newsflash - success at 2 Pine Hill

News arrives that the owner of 2 Pine Hill on the Woodcote Estate, Mr. Neville True, has been convicted at Redhill Magistrates' Court of breaching a planning enforcement order in relation to the property.

Mr. True has made himself a nuisance to neighbours at a number of addresses around Epsom. In Pine Hill he has regularly parked over 12 vehicles on and around his property creating an eye sore and affecting his neighbours' enjoyment of their own homes. After complaints from local residents and pressure from myself the council finally agreed to issue an enforcement order to limit the number of vehicles Mr. True is allowed to keep on his land. The figure the council came to was a maximum of seven. This in my view is still much too high. Mr. True is clearly storing and trading in cars from a residential property and there is no evidence to suggest that he needs up to seven cars on the land for residential purposes. I will continue to press the council to reduce this number. Further action is required as to the parking of cars on land to the side of the property that does not appear to be covered by the original notice.

Mr. True had a pop at me in the Epsom Guardian when I dared suggest that he simply get on and tidy up his land. He denied he has committed any criminal offence and has suggested that the council is bullying him. He got a mate to write in (without disclosing their connection) to accuse me of attacking the principle of an Englishman's home being his castle.

Well Mr. True's protestations don't come to much now that he has entered a guilty plea. Just to be clear, as a Conservative, I am a great fan of property rights. This does though include the rights of others to enjoy their properties and not to have to suffer at the hands of inconsiderate and selfish people like Mr. True.

Mr. True's lack of neighbourliness has cost him dearly. He now has a criminal conviction. He is to pay a £2,000 fine and £600 costs. One has to hope that he has learnt his lesson. If he hasn't I fear he may find this all a rather costly business because if he persists with his actions I will ensure that we will go back to court as many times as is necessary for him to learn the error of his ways.