Watford Borough Council has successfully prosecuted a landowner for failing to comply with an enforcement notice regarding protected Green Belt land at Bushey Mill Bridge. The legal action follows unauthorised work on the site, which sits north of the River Colne.
The council’s Planning Enforcement team first investigated the site in July 2024 after reports of unauthorised activity. Officials found that the land had been levelled and fitted with new gates. Additionally, construction and demolition waste, including hardcore and scalpings, had been imported to create a hardstanding area. Watford Borough Council issued an enforcement notice on 1 August 2024, which required the landowner to remove these materials within one month. Despite repeated requests from the council for the land to be cleared, no remedial action was taken.
The landowner, Mr Lewis Leonard McEwan of Property Investments Limited, was invited to attend an interview under caution but did not attend. Consequently, the case was referred to the council’s legal team, leading to court proceedings. On 25 March 2026, Mr McEwan appeared before St Albans Magistrates’ Court, where he entered a guilty plea for failing to comply with the enforcement notice.
The court sentenced Mr McEwan to pay a total financial penalty of £5,936, which includes a £3,000 fine, a £1,200 victim surcharge, and £1,739 in prosecution costs. The court ordered that the total be paid in monthly instalments of £500, with the first payment due on 1 April 2026. A collection order has been issued, and failure to meet this payment schedule could lead to further legal consequences, including the possibility of imprisonment.
Ben Martin, the Director of Regeneration and Growth at the council, stated that protecting the local Green Belt remains a top priority. He added that the council will continue to take action whenever planning rules are ignored, noting that unauthorised development will not be tolerated.
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