A COUNCILLOR has urged Bradford’s planning department to make an example of people forced to pull down extensions built without permission.

Ten people have been forced to demolish extensions or other structures built without planning consent in the past year, a meeting of the Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee heard.

This was out of around 200 cases where retrospective permission had been refused and enforcement action had begun.

Councillor Malcolm Sykes (Con, Thornton and Allerton) said: “I’m just wondering if we do give enough publicity to the fact that we have knocked them down, because that would send a far bigger message.”

But planning officers said they did not “go looking for publicity” as they did not want to be seen revelling in the success of having something torn down.

“Why not?” Cllr Sykes said.

Councillor David Warburton (Lab, Wyke) said the Labour group had looked into whether it was possible to charge people more to put in a planning application retrospectively. He said: “Unfortunately,You cannot change the fees.”