Landowner fined for breaching environmental health law

A serious breach of Environmental Health legislation has resulted in the owner of a Doncaster site having to pay out nearly £10,000 in fines and costs.

Virendra Kotak had acquired the land upon which Highfield Miners Welfare – four miles north of the city – was situated.

Instead of developing the land or it’s properties, the building was demolished and a significant amount of waste was left in situ. Additional fly tipped hazardous waste was also dumped on the site.

Doncaster Council said it made repeated attempts to engage with Kotak about the removal of more than 500 tonnes of demolition waste, but was left with little option but to press for a prosecution.

The case was referred to the local magistrates. Penalties related to breaches of the Building Act (£2,500), Environmental Protection Act (£4,500) and Prevention of Damage by Pests Act (£1,000) were meted out as part of the punishment.

Asked to justify the severity of the punishment, the court explained this was in a residential area, adding that the materials on the site were dangerous and close to private residences. The court also noted the landowner’s persistent non-compliance with legal notices.

Doncaster Mayor, Ros Jones, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of this prosecution against an absentee landowner who had speculatively bought this land.

“By failing to clear his land of hazardous waste, this perpetrator has shown blatant disregard for, not just the letter of the law, but the safety of the public and the council’s hardworking enforcement officers. Something we find completely unacceptable.

“This serious case demonstrates Doncaster Council will simply not tolerate such behaviour and will always push for the strongest sentences possible for landowners who fail to take responsibility for their land and ignore legal notices.”