Shropshire business owners given 24 weeks to tear down unlawful holiday let complex after losing their appeal
The owners of an unlawful holiday let business near Church Stretton have been ordered to dismantle the complex after losing their appeal.
The owners of a hillside holiday‑let business in All Stretton have been ordered to shut down the operation and remove decking, hot tubs and cooking facilities after losing their latest planning appeal.
A government planning inspector has upheld Shropshire Council's enforcement notice against Kathy Cooper and Philip Richmond, after ruling that three units on the slopes of Caer Caradoc had been operating as unauthorised short‑term holiday-lets.
Ms Cooper and Mr Richmond had attempted to secure planning permission for the venture in 2023, after the site had operated as a holiday-let business for more than two years.
But Shropshire Council threw out the plans, stating the scheme was "in an unsuitable isolated location in the countryside". The pair appealed that decision too, but it was upheld by the Planning Inspectorate in February last year.
The enforcement notice, issued in October 2024, requires the owners to cease all holiday‑let use within 28 days and to remove a series of structures - including decking, hot tubs, lighting, cooking facilities and an “honesty shop” - within 24 weeks.
The business owners had argued that the notice was not properly served because Ms Cooper’s name was misspelled as "Cathy". But the inspector rejected that claim, describing it as a “minor typographical error” that did not invalidate the notice.
The pair also argued that the removal requirements were excessive, unclear and that the 24‑week compliance period was too short given the scale of the works required and the remote location.
Inspector S A Hanson disagreed, stating they were "not persuaded" that it was an "unreasonable" amount of time and that the instructions were clear.
The enforcement notice requires the pair to cease the use within 28 days and to remove the structures within 24 weeks.