Pembrokeshire County Council demolished an illegally built lean-to which was attached to a neighbour's listed building.

The council had issued a Listed Buildings Enforcement Notice for the structure at 1, Glyn-y-Mel Road, Lower Town, Fishguard, back on June 17, 2021.

The notice had demanded its demolition and the removal of all resultant materials on-site, along with the restoration of the gable end wall back to its original status within three months.

The owner of the lean-to, Paul Mason, resisted the notice and launched an unsuccessful appeal.

A planning inspector from Planning Decisions Environment Wales, rejected the appeal, highlighting the outbuilding's harmful impact on the special character and setting of the listed buildings.

Following the appeal, Mr Mason was prosecuted for non-compliance and pleaded guilty on December 7, 2023.

He was ordered to pay a fine, costs and victim surcharge.

Despite the verdict, Mr Mason did not proceed with the demolition of the outbuilding.

This triggered the council's planning enforcement team to step in and directly organise the proper disposal of the unauthorised outbuilding on March 6, 2024.

Commenting on the issue, Cllr Jon Harvey, cabinet member for planning and housing delivery, said: "It is sad that this situation had to get to this point and this is the first time in more than ten years that the council has been forced to take direct action.

"However, it was clear that the defendant was not willing to comply with the terms of the enforcement notice requiring removal so we have taken the necessary action.

"I thank our teams involved, including the planning enforcement and legal officers and hope this action demonstrates our commitment to enforcing breaches of planning control and upholding the integrity of the decision making process."

The demolition costs will be recovered from Mr Mason.