A councillor who built a fence without planning permission said it is no longer a problem after he cut it down to less than a metre.

Nadeem Ayub built the fence without planning permission at his house on Lowther Street in Great Lever in the last few months.

The Bolton News: Nadeem Ayub

Cllr Ayub, the cabinet member for culture and the son of the Mayor of Bolton Mohammed Ayub, said he was not aware he needed permission until a complaint to the council and he put in an application when he was aware he needed permission.

The application was up for consideration by the Planning Committee when it met at the town hall last week but on March 20, the day before the meeting, it was withdrawn meaning planning permission was neither approved nor refused.

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Cllr Ayub told The Bolton News: "I cut the height of the fence so planning permission was no longer required and I withdrew the application."

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The report for consideration by the Planning Committee recommended refusal on the basis of the impact of the fence on the appearance and character of the area and the impact of the fence on highways safety. The latter is because it limited the ability of a neighbour on Lakeside Avenue to see both ways from their driveway.

However, according to planning policy, a fence is not in need of planning permission if it is next to a highway and if it is less than a metre.

The Bolton News: Nadeem Ayub put up the fence without planning permission

The report said: "The development conflicts with the development plan. There are no considerations, including the National Planning Policy Framework, which indicate a decision should be taken otherwise than in accordance with the development plan. Members are recommended to refuse this application."

The report said the house as a whole is not in accordance with planning permission after it was approved on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in 2020, particularly in relation to its appearance and the position of its windows. Cllr Ayub declined to comment on this as it was not up for consideration by the Planning Committee.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.