The owner of a dilapidated listed building, occupying a key town centre position, has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after failing to comply with an enforcement notice.

The former Wesleyan Chapel on Perrots Road, Haverfordwest, is a Grade II listed building. It is described as being ‘in a poor state of repair with a small portion of untidy land’.

The chapel is owned by IR Barsoum & Company, who in 2021 submitted plans to convert the imposing building into five flats with the chapel house converted into another two flats.

However, the application was withdrawn in November 2022. In March 2023 Barsoum’s company was served a Section 215 Notice by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The notice contained a scheduled of works to tidy the land and bring the building into a good state of repair, these had to be completed by October 15, 2023.

A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council said that council officers had tried to get IR Barsoum & Company Ltd to undertake works to improve the condition and appearance of the building.

When these were unsuccessful the authority formally issued a notice under section 215 of the town and country planning act, known as an untidy land notice.

The company based at 7 Brookfield Court, Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, had 28 days to appeal the notice, but no appeal was forthcoming. Exactly a year after the notice was issued, a representative from the Barsoum company appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court.

They admitted breaching the enforcement notice which is a criminal offence under section 216 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

IR Barsoum & Company Ltd was fined £500 and ordered to pay £579 costs and a £200 victim surcharge.

Magistrates took the admission of guilt into account when imposing sentence. IR Barsoum & Company Ltd will have to pay the total of £1,279 in instalments of £200.00 per month starting on April 4 this year.

“The council considered it expedient to issue a notice due to the poor condition of the building and its adverse effect on the amenity of the neighbourhood,” said a spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council.

“The local planning authority will now be considering what further steps may be necessary to ensure that the notice is complied with.”