THE owner of a shipping container and mobile home that outraged neighbours in Park South has appealed against the council’s attempt to remove them.

The local authority issued an enforcement notice to Lillie Goddard in November because the additions to her front garden were made without planning permission.

The notice says the “unauthorised development” is contrary to planning policy, is “out of character” with the rest of the neighbourhood, has “no affinity or sympathy” with the area, and has “an unacceptable visual dominance and detrimental impact on residential amenities”.

But before Christmas, Ms Goddard countered the order with an appeal arguing that planning policy has not been breached because permission is not required for the additions, and that “the steps required to comply with the requirements of the enforcement notice are excessive and lesser steps would overcome the objections”.

Jo Wilson first brought the issue to the council’s attention on behalf of her neighbours and is keen to see the mess removed at long last.

She said: “Absolutely nothing has been done, still no decision has been made. All we get is ‘we'll let you know by the end of the week’ and still nothing, it’s disgraceful.

“Lillie has not made any attempts to clear anything from the property. Everything is still there, the rubbish is getting worse. It’s a mess and a shocking sight over 18 months later.”

Ms Goddard said: "I believe I acted lawfully. If I knew it was illegal, I would not have done it, I acted in good faith.

"There's one law saying you do need planning permission and one saying you don't, it's contradictory, so there's a 50/50 chance of the appeal being successful, it depends on what the inspector thinks.

"I hope I win the appeal, and that's not just me hoping to not spend money taking it all away but it could then be an option for other people who were in my situation and needed to do this in an emergency."

Ms Goddard set up the mobile home as a place to live in while work was being done to fix issues in the house she had moved into, which she claims was unsafe. She then bought the shipping container to store materials for the renovation work.

Neighbours on Purley Avenue have complained about the unsightly structures since the mobile home first appeared 18 months ago and the shipping container arrived a few months later.

The row appeared on an episode of the Channel 5 series My Nightmare Neighbour Next Door after a cameraman filmed a fraught public meeting last February where angry residents confronted Ms Goddard while councillors suggested ways to resolve the disagreement.

She promised to tidy the mess within weeks but little changed, which prompted the borough council to serve the enforcement notice.

The appeal is now with the Planning Inspectorate and the council is awaiting the outcome, though a verdict could still be several weeks away.

A Planning Inspectorate spokesman said: “This appeal is being dealt with through the written representation process.

“The inspector is hoping undertake a site visit in the coming weeks. It will be unaccompanied and therefore the current restrictions will not, we hope, affect it.

“Following the site visit, the inspector will consider the evidence submitted, take account of current planning legislation and policies and issue a decision some weeks later.”