Hans J Marter

27 September 2005

COUNCILLORS in Shetland will meet behind closed doors tomorrow (Wednesday) to find a way out of a muddle over a planning controversy.

Entrepreneur Chris Hodge may be served with an enforcement notice should councillors follow the advice from planning officials.

The development follows a private meeting yesterday (Monday) morning between two senior council officials and Mr Hodge who was supported by his solicitor Neil Risk.

Mr Hodge said afterwards that officials had not been willing to discuss any way to resolve the crisis.

He has been served with a planning contravention notice earlier this month accusing him of trading from the former Judane Knitwear premises without planning consent.

But Mr Hodge had been given written assurances from council officials on several occasions that planning permission was not required for his warehouse as retail activity had taken place from the premises previously and as such no change of use was taking place.

However on 30 June, he was informed by the planning department that the advice had been “informal” and that officials would review the situation.

Three weeks later, on 18 July, he was told that planning permission was required.

By that time major investments into the conversation of the building were in the process of being carried out and Mr Hodge officially opened his premises at Blackhill Mills on 8 September.

Last night, Mr Hodge said: “I have invested more than £2 million into this project. My life and that of 20 employees are in the line here.”

Council officials now hope issuing an enforcement notice to stop retailing from the premises within a period of 28 days would result in a planning application coming forward from Mr Hodge.

But Mr Hodge said he would instead apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness which could legalise retrospectively the unauthorised use of the building over the last ten years.

However, as such a document has never been issued in Shetland, council officials were yesterday unable to provide Mr Hodge with the appropriate application form.