Homeowner fined £50,000 for fitting new windows to his old house
A HOMEOWNER was hit with a £50,000 fine after fitting new windows to his old house.
Malawi Nijar removed sash windows at the Grade II-listed Summerland Lodge in Kent and was slapped with the hefty fee as a result.
The historic building was first built as a private prep school in 1906 and its original name was Doon House,
The Westgate-on-Sea property was occupied by officers from RAF Manston during the Second World War and given listed status in 2012, according to Historic England.
After a long-running battle over compliance with regulations, the council finally took action against owner Malawi.
According to the law, it is illegal to carry out internal or external works to a listed building without consent.
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And Malawi was found guilty of the offence at Margate Magistrates' Court on December 2 last year.
On June 6 he was fined £40,000 for failing to comply with an enforcement notice.
He was told to pay the council’s £7,560 of costs plus a £70 victim surcharge.
Malawi also admitted failure to attend his trial in December, in contradiction of the Bail Act 1976, and was fined another £2,500.
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Council officers will inspect the property again in August and Malawi could be hauled back to court if the work has not been done.
The council said it takes a "strong approach" to anyone who carries out unauthorised work on a listed building.
A statement read: "We advise anyone wanting to carry out works on a listed building to seek advice from our planning department."
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After the war the property was bought by the Royal British Legion as a nursing and convalescent home and was renamed Maurice Lodge.
It later became the head office of a construction company and in the mid-1980s it became a nursing home called Summerlands Lodge.