A Ross-shire resident could be told to take down a massive decking worth thousands of pounds which has been built in his garden without planning permission.
Homeowner Gordon Christie has applied for retrospective planning permission for the 78.7ft long and 8.2ft high wooden structure in the garden of his house at 7 Mountrich Place in Dingwall.
It follows a letter of complaint from a landowner who received planning permission in December 2011 to build a house on the adjoining land to the south of the property.
Mr Christie said he mistakenly looked at the UK and not Scottish guidelines for planning permission applications and was also told by the contractor building the decking that it would not be needed.
A decision will be made on whether the structure should stay during a North Planning Applications Committee on Tuesday.
Applicant Dan Murphy has expressed concern about the intrusive nature of the decking and loss of privacy to the future house he is building, the back of which would be located 16.4ft away.
It also extends above the existing 5.9ft high
mutual boundary fence.
The rear of this property, which will have a car parking and drying area as well as some windows, would be directly overlooked by the decking.
Mr Murphy also expressed concern that the loss of privacy will likely have an adverse effect on the value of the future property.
A report by the area planning manager states that the applicant was made aware that the structure as built may not receive planning permission and it was suggested amended proposals should be considered.
However, a planning application was subsequently received
for the structure when it was built.
The report also states that discussions since between the applicant and objector to reach a compromise on the decking have proven fruitless.
Mr Christie said: “I did look in to it and got a local contractor and he said he did not believe I needed planning. If I had known I needed planning I would have applied for it at the time and the decking would not have been built.”