White Stuff boss: Council 'too late' to stop skate bowl

South Hams District Council turned down plans to screen the development with trees

A millionaire fashion boss says a garage, skate bowl and tennis court he built without permission in a Devon beauty spot are now legal.

White Stuff founder Sean Thomas has told South Hams District Council that no enforcement action was taken in the four years after the work ended.

In a planning statement he claims that the additions "are therefore lawful".

Retrospective planning permission was rejected twice by the council.

The buildings are in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Salcolmbe, Devon

Mr Thomas built the garage, court and skate bowl in 2016 beside his luxury waterside home near Salcombe.

Neighbours and the local council complained and a retrospective application was rejected in 2019.

South Hams District Council said the construction in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was "detrimental" to the "highly sensitive" local environment.

Mr Thomas submitted new plans, including planting more than 1,000 trees, but they were rejected in November 2020.

The council handed the case over to its enforcement team to start legal action to remove the bowl, court and garage, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). said.

But now Mr Thomas has applied for a certificate of lawfulness for the development, on the grounds that the time limit for taking enforcement action has passed.

The application says under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the time limit for taking enforcement action is four years.

A planning statement submitted on behalf of Mr Thomas says the works were "were substantially completed by May 2016" and says "on the balance of probabilities... the construction of the outbuilding, tennis court and skate bowl are lawful".

Council planners will determine the fate of the application at a later date.