Homeowner fined £50,000 for fitting new windows to his old house
A HOMEOWNER was hit with a £50,000 after fitting new windows to his old house.
Malawi Nijar removed sash windows at the Grade II-listed Summerland Lodge in Kent and was slapped with the hefty fee as a result.
The historic building was first built as a private prep school in 1906 and its original name was Doon House, reports Metro.
The Westgate-on-Sea property was occupied by officers from RAF Manston during the Second World War and given listed status in 2012, according to Historic England.
After a long-running battle over compliance with regulations, the council finally took action against owner Malawi.
According to the law, it is illegal to carry out internal or external works to a listed building without consent.
Read More in Money
And Malawi was found guilty of the offence at Margate Magistrates Court on December 2 last year.
On June 6 he was fined £40,000 for failing to comply with an enforcement notice.
He was told to pay the council’s £7,560 of costs plus a £70 victim surcharge.
Malawi also admitted failure to attend his trial in December, in contradiction of the Bail Act 1976, and was fined another £2,500.
Most read in Money
Council officers will inspect the property again in August and Malawi could be hauled back to court if the work has not been done.
The council said it takes a “strong approach” to anyone who carries out unauthorised work on a listed building.
A statement read: “We advise anyone wanting to carry out works on a listed building to seek advice from our planning department.”
Read More on The Sun
After the war the property was bought by the Royal British Legion as a nursing and convalescent home and was renamed Maurice Lodge.
It later became the head office of a construction company and in the mid-1980s it became a nursing home called Summerlands Lodge.