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£10,000 bill for Banbury eyesore
15/10/2022
Malthouse Walk owner says he has now employed a new cleaning agency
The owner of a litter strewn walkway in Banbury has been landed with a £10,000 bill. Cherwell District Council successfully prosecuted the company responsible for Malthouse Walk which had become a town centre eyesore.
Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard Cherwell District Council’s case on Friday 7 October.
Counsel for Shimon Roter, director of Malthouse Banbury Ltd, pleaded guilty on his behalf to five offences and the magistrates ordered the company to pay a total of £10,008.18, including fines and costs.
Councillor Dan Sames, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities, said: “We’re proud of our district’s public spaces and recognise that anyone who uses Banbury town centre deserves to see clean and tidy streets.
“Local people and councillors have been concerned about the appearance of Malthouse Walk for some time and we have taken enforcement action to make sure the landowner has a regular cleaning programme in place to keep it to the standard that the public expect.
“His failure to respond has cost the public purse a considerable amount of money, and I am pleased that by securing this prosecution we not only lay down an important marker but recover the costs to the taxpayer.”
Malthouse Banbury Ltd must now pay £4,508.18 of costs. This includes a payment for time spent by the Council cleaning up litter in February this year, when the company was in breach of a community protection notice.
The company was also fined £1,000 per offence for five breaches of community protection notices and needs to pay a £500 victim surcharge.
Cherwell’s street cleansing service covers publicly owned areas of Banbury town centre and empties bins on behalf of Banbury Town Council. But private landowners are in charge of emptying bins and clearing waste on their land. The council can step in and take action when this responsibility has not been met.
During the course of the long-running case, there have been times when Cherwell has had to refrain from cleaning the area to make sure that its enforcement measures were legally sound. The council says it is grateful for the public’s patience during these periods.
The landowner says he has employed a new cleaning agency and the council will continue to monitor the condition of Malthouse Walk.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam