A POTTERS Bar man who has a huge ‘eyesore’ container planted in his front garden without planning permission has lost his appeal to keep it there.

Rosary Court resident Chris Christou was asked to remove the giant container from the property earlier this year by Hertsmere Borough Council, but appealed against the decision.

However, his appeal has been thrown out and Mr Christou now has six months to remove the container, which has been dormant for over a year.

Neighbours and nearby residents have previously voiced their concerns over the container to the Potters Bar Edition, with one resident claiming it looked like “something out of a ship- yard”.

However, Mr Christou later 
told the Potters Bar Edition he needed the container to store wheelchairs and other disability equipment because he is disabled.

In dismissing the appeal and upholding the counci’s enforcement notice, planning inspector R O Evans threw out a number of grounds Mr Christou had raised under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

He stated Mr Christou had failed to put forward “substanstive arguments” to win his appeal.

Mr Evans wrote: “Whatever personal sympathies I or anyone else might have with the appellant’s circumstances, I am unable to take them into account… as he has not paid the appropriate fees and there is no application for planning permission to be determined.

“Unless and until he submits an application for planning permission, whether for the change of use or some other alternative, no proper account can be taken of those aspects.

“The council have their own powers to extend the compliance period if appropriate.

“Six months is more than a reasonable time to allow for an application to be submitted and I find no reason therefore to extend the period at present.”

Source: Potters Bar Times