The owner of a popular Mearns curiosity shop has locked horns with a council over “a long history” of unauthorised development.
Steptoe’s Yard near St Cyrus is known across the region as a trove of modern and antique wares.
Owner Frank Harrison, who diversified his farm to cope with the BSE crisis, had applied to Aberdeenshire Council for more storage space and to retrospectively change its car park to storage — around 3,000 square metres in total.
Mr Harrison was previously given permission to run a shop with associated overspill parking at Nether Warburton Farm, but not storage.
The local authority bounced his application back after officers and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) expressed concerns about development on a flood plain by the River North Esk.
Mr Harrison has now applied to the local review body after the Scottish Government’s planning appeals department ruled it had no remit to look at the appeal.
The council has stopped any enforcement action until after the board decides.
In its handling report, a planning spokesman said most of the site is surfaced in hard core, industrial material has already been stored on site for many months, and there had been a “long history” of unauthorised use of the site.
He added: “What appears to be landscaping and gardening green waste is being brought through the site in considerable quantities and is being burnt.
“The applicant has stated verbally he is of the opinion this is an agricultural use of the site.”
The farm is close to several Sites of Environmentally Sensitive Area/Site of Interest to Natural Science, including part of the National Nature Reserve at St Cyrus Beach.
A local authority spokesman said: “Following the refusal of planning permission by Aberdeenshire Council the applicants submitted an appeal in error to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division of the Scottish Government.
“The planning decision will now be reviewed by the (review body).
“In the meantime while a planning review is live, the council will not pursue any enforcement action in respect of the unauthorised development at the site.
“Once the review outcome is known, the council will review the matter and determine the appropriate course of action.”
Mr Harrison’s agent John Frullani of Dundee has submitted that the council refused permission “without giving due consideration” to imposing conditions relating to flood risk and developing in a coastal zone.
The local authority has not set a date for determination.
Mr Harrison did not respond to requests for comment.
