National Park chiefs have been ordered to pay £8,000 in costs after abandoning enforcement action against a New Forest couple.
The National Park Authority (NPA) had accused Mr and Mrs Terry Boyce, of Bourne Road, Woodlands, of using an area of agricultural land as part of their garden. A planning inquiry was opened but the NPA asked for an adjournment and subsequently withdrew the enforcement notice.
The planning inspector who chaired the hearing said the NPA had “seriously misunderstood” what he described as clearly established principles of law.
Steve Avery, the NPA’s director of strategy and planning, said the inspector had cited new case law suggesting that Mr and Mrs Boyce did not need planning permission for the work they had undertaken. He added: “We felt that in view of the case law we weren’t in a position to continue with the inquiry.
