A resident from Corsham has been given six months to remove rendered cladding from their house by Wiltshire Council.

The owner of the property on Pickwick Road was first issued with an enforcement notice in February 2023, after they added rendered cladding to the exterior walls of their property without planning permission.

The resident then applied to the council for retrospective planning permission that would allow the changes.

According to the council, retrospective planning applications are considered in the same way as new planning applications.

The fact that the work has already been carried out does not influence the decision.

However, the applicant does run the risk of being ordered to restore the property to its original condition if the application is refused.

In this case, retrospective planning permission was refused because the cladding was considered to be “highly unsympathetic” and would “harm the Corsham Conservation Area.”

The owner decided to appeal both the refusal and the council’s enforcement notice, but on February 7, the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeals and ruled that the cladding should be removed within six months.

Councillor Nick Botterill, cabinet member for development management and strategic planning, said: “This sends a clear message to anyone considering making changes to their property without planning permission.

“As we have clearly set out in our Business Plan, we will use all powers available to us, including enforcement action and prosecution if necessary to prevent planning breaches in Wiltshire.

“In this case, the homeowner made significant changes to the outside of their property, which is in a Conservation Area, without planning permission, and they were served an enforcement notice.

"Their retrospective application for planning permission was rejected, and then their subsequent appeals were dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate.

“This is a great result that illustrates the tenacity of our planning enforcement team, and reminds everyone in Wiltshire that we will use all of our powers and take enforcement action against breaches of planning regulations in the county.”

Householders are allowed to make certain minor improvements to their homes without planning permission.

This is known as a person’s permitted development rights.

Planning permission may be necessary for decisions such as expanding a business or changing the use of a site.

Wiltshire Council offers a service where an officer can let a resident know if they need planning permission for a project.

The processing charge for this service is £65.