Hartley man fined £20,000 for illegal Green Belt development

Published: Tuesday, 13th May 2025

A Hartley resident who put up two buildings in the Green Belt without planning permission, then refused to comply with a planning enforcement notice, has been fined £20,000 by Sevenoaks Magistrates.

Mr Jaswinder Ghag built two, one-storey brick structures at his property at Ash Road, Hartley in November 2019, both without planning permission.

Mr Ghag subsequently applied for retrospective planning permission in December 2021. The application was refused on the grounds the buildings, due to their size and scale, would harm the Green Belt.

Mr Ghag took no further action and in September 2022, the Council served him with a Planning Enforcement Notice. He was given until January 2023 to resolve the matter or face legal action.

Despite many site visits and letters from the Council, Mr Ghag’s failed to take any action so was summonsed to court.

Mr Ghag appeared before Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on Friday 9 May 2025.

He received a fine of £20,000 fine and was also ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and £250 towards the costs of bringing the case.

Cllr Julia Thornton, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Development & Conservation, says: “Mr. Ghag has displayed a cavalier approach to planning. He put up buildings without planning permission and ignored our enforcement notice. He was given every opportunity to rectify the problem but failed to take action.

“We have promised our residents we will do everything possible to stop illegal development in the Green Belt and in this case, we had no other choice but to take legal action.

“The fact that Mr Ghag was handed such a large fine demonstrates the seriousness of the offence.”