SUTTON-in-Craven resident Martin Pearson has spoken of his relief now that permission has been given so he can finish off his shed.

Mr Pearson, 62, had originally been told last year by planning officers at Craven District Council that he didn't need permission to demolish an old wooden shed and replace it with a stone-built building on a slightly larger footprint at his home in Oaklands, West Lane.

He aimed to store gardening equipment and his motorcycle inside.

Work was started, however, problems arose on February 1 this year when the council wrote to say there had been a problem with his inquiry and that permission was indeed required because of its location at the front of the house - something he had pointed out at the time.

It was also revealed that a neighbour had lodged a complaint.

"It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious," said Mr Pearson at the time. I could have to demolish the building which is nearly finished and I would have lost £5,000."

When Mr Pearson pointed out the council's error to the planning department, they apologised and said they would waive the planning application fee, but that he would still need to apply for retrospective permission.

The go-ahead for his shed has now been given by planners and Mr Pearson can finish the work.

He said: "It was a relief that the planning department approved my application. There were no conditions on the approval and the objections were dismissed. It was also stated that the planning department had given me the wrong information initially and that I had followed the proper procedure from the beginning. They apologised for their error."