{"id":10715,"date":"2018-02-13T10:15:04","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T15:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=10715"},"modified":"2018-02-13T10:15:04","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T15:15:04","slug":"couple-fined-secret-house-hidden-garage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2018\/02\/13\/couple-fined-secret-house-hidden-garage\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple fined over ‘secret’ house hidden in garage"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple have been fined for building a “secret” house inside a garage.<\/p>\n

The property, complete with front door, was also hidden from view behind a tall wooden fence on an estate in Enderby, Leicestershire.<\/p>\n

Reeta Herzallah and Hamdi Almasri, who denied deliberately trying to hide the “habitable accommodation”, were ordered to pay more than \u00a32,000 each.<\/p>\n

Blaby District Council said the couple’s actions were “completely unacceptable”.<\/p>\n

Inspectors issued a notice that the garage be changed back and fence removed, but subsequent visits showed this had not happened.<\/p>\n

An application for retrospective planning permission was refused.<\/p>\n

At Leicester Magistrates’ Court last week, Herzallah and Almasri, who did not attend or enter a plea, were each ordered to pay a \u00a3770 fine for breaching the orders, legal costs of \u00a31,252, and a \u00a377 victim surcharge.<\/p>\n

\"Garage<\/span>
The work breached regulations on preserving off-street parking<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a Facebook post, Ms Herzallah said the couple were “hard working” and “law abiding”.<\/p>\n

She said they were advised by a builder that the conversion, in Old Church Road, was permitted and denied deliberately trying to hide the work.<\/p>\n

Officials said they first investigated the problem in October 2015 and found the conversion, as well as an unauthorised access to a nearby dual carriageway.<\/p>\n

Sheila Scott, portfolio holder for planning at Blaby District Council, said: “The message from this case is clear. If you breach planning regulations and ignore us we will not just go away.<\/p>\n

“Creating an access onto the busy B4114 and blocking off valuable off-road parking space was completely unacceptable.”<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/span><\/figure>\n

Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A couple have been fined for building a “secret” house inside a garage. The property, complete with front door, was also hidden from view behind a tall wooden fence on an estate in Enderby, Leicestershire.