Balfour fined for breach of planning regs

Balfour Beatty Utilities has been fined £10,000 for building a construction compound in Lancashire without planning permission.

Balfour constructed the depot in Halton, near Lancaster, but did not seek planning approval. Lancaster City Council investigated after receiving complaints from local residents.

The council planning department took enforcement action against Balfour Beatty after the contractor failed to respond within a specified time limit.

Balfour subsequently appeared in court on 4 January, and pleaded guilty to a breach of planning laws. The company was fined £10,000 by Lancaster Magistrates Court and also ordered to pay the council's legal costs.

A spokeswoman for Balfour Beatty said: "We had fully complied with the enforcement notice by the time we appeared in court. We have since reviewed our procedures for compound establishment."