Evenwood Gate builder defiant despite court threat

AN Evemwood Gate man has vowed not to tear down the home he built without planning permission despite a threat of being hauled before the High Court in Leeds.
A meeting between Jim Bradwell and Durham County Council officers on Thursday last week failed to avert the pending High Court action when he reconfirmed he would not conform with an enforcement order that demands he demolish his Evenwood Gate bungalow.
Mr Bradwell has been at odds with planning officers since he built the home in 2007.
Last year he was fined £5,000 for failing to comply with the order.
Now the council wants an injunction to force Mr Bradwell to comply with the order but he says it is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
The 67-year-old said: “Today was about trying to save the council £25,000, but I think it fell on deaf ears. All the time we are wasting taxpayers’ money.
“I’m not complying with the enforcement order until they go back to the start of it all.”
Mr Bradwell claims officers are ignoring his complaint that his original planning application was not properly assessed because vital documents were missing.
These, he claims, show the site is “brownfield” and not “greenfield” as officers say.
Among the proof he offers are maps dating back to 1894 and 1948 which show three houses in an L-shape on his property’s site.
He said: “They were here before Evenwood Gate was built. All of this was covered in buildings. They can’t say it is not because this is all out of the county council’s maps.
“Since then the property has been used variously as a pottery, a coal yard, a lumber yard and a builder’s yard.”
The building contractor’s fight with officers reached a peak two years ago when he was barred from entering county planning offices because of allegations that he threatened a staff member.
Later he took to protesting outside County Hall.
Mr Bradwell now claims the council is involved in a “cover up” and has taken the matter up with the police. He has also applied unsuccessfully to Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court for fraud charges to be brought against council officers. He also alleges that the council is “living off the proceeds of crime” because council tax is being claimed on an “illegal” property.
He added: “The cover up is ridiculous, there is loads of evidence about it. I’ve been to the police and they say they don’t want to get involved. I also wrote to the chief constable but he said it wasn’t in his field because no crime has been committed.”
Regardless of the outcome of the High Court action, Mr Bradwell is adamant he will not demolish his home and hopes that he will get a trial by jury if he finds himself in contempt of court.
He said: “The only way I will knock this down is if a jury tells me to. Why don’t they go straight for the bullet and go for a demolition order? But they don’t because If they go for a demolition order I can challenge my case.”
A court date has yet to be set. Durham County Council chose not to issue a comment on the matter.