The owner of a rural Herefordshire home who converted a free-standing garage into two small flats without permission has been told they can stay.

Les Chambers of Ox Pastures near Marden, between Hereford and Leominster, built the three-bay outbuilding in 2013, having secured planning permission the year before.

Three years later he substantially revamped the building, walling it in, creating a new floor under the roof and adding a lean-to, in order to turn it into two separate single-bedroom dwellings.

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Both were then let to tenants unrelated to Mr Chambers, evidenced by tenancy agreements supplied with his application. One is currently vacant in anticipation of the wider property being sold.

“The building which stands on site today was substantially completed more than four years ago whereby it is immune from enforcement action,” a statement with his application says.

Planning officer Jack Dyer concluded that, with no evidence having been submitted to the contrary, “on the balance of probabilities, the development is lawful given that the time in which any enforcement action could be taken has now expired”.

A lawful development certificate for the two properties was granted.