Lampeter developer faces near £60,000 additional costs amidst council dispute

A developer has complained after Ceredigion planning officers ordered him to rip out plastic windows installed in a Lampeter conservation area building without permission.

Lee Cowles, who bought the former football club building in Bridge Street in 2023, has been renovating the site for commercial use.

As part of the work, Mr Cowles ripped out six wooden dormer windows “for safety reasons” and replaced them with uPVC windows.

Despite the building being in Lampeter’s conservation area, with strict rules about what materials can be used during renovations, Mr Cowles did not apply to the county council for permission.

He is now complaining after Ceredigion planning officers told him to rebuild the six dormer windows he removed, with the uPVC replaced with ‘traditional timber alternatives’.

Around 23sqm of uPVC cladding used in the renovation has also been ordered to be removed and replaced with timber.

Mr Cowles said the estimated bill for the work would be £57,900 after having already spending £350,000 on purchase and renovation to bring the building back to life.

Mr Cowles said the original dormers were ‘severely rotten’ and were removed after his builder advised they were dangerous.

Mr Cowles accepts he did not apply for planning permission before carrying out the changes, saying he had relied on informal advice that a retrospective application could be made if necessary.

Now Ceredigion County Council has told him he must make the building right and carry out remedial works by July 2027.

In a detailed response sent to Mr Cowles in September, the authority said the six dormers had formed part of the building’s “historic roof scape and architectural composition” and their removal had “substantially altered the original form and appearance of the building”.

The council cited policies concerning design, conservation areas and historic landscapes, alongside national heritage guidance and the Lampeter Conservation Area Appraisal.

Mr Cowles - who has lodged a complaint with the council over the issue - challenged what he sees as “inconsistent treatment” of uPVC elsewhere in Lampeter, where the material has previously been allowed in the conservation area.

In a response to Mr Cowles, the council acknowledged that there had previously been “unsympathetic interventions” within the Lampeter Conservation Area, but said it had since adopted a conservation area appraisal, recruited specialist officers and invested in its enforcement service.

Ceredigion County Council declined to discuss the individual case, but told the Cambrian News that “those who undertake development without first obtaining the necessary planning permission should expect potential breaches of planning control to be investigated and, where appropriate, enforcement action to be taken.”

Mr Cowles, who said that businesses and residents are supporting him in his complaint, told the Cambrian News he had offered alternative solutions including reinstating two dormers and replacing uPVC windows and cladding with timber, but those suggestions were rejected.

“I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for consistency, proportionality and meaningful consideration of the alternatives I have offered,” he said.

The council has maintained that the six removed dormers should be reconstructed.