Havering Council is taking enforcement action against a councillor who failed to submit planning permission before putting up a shed in his garden.

Cllr Jeff Tucker, who represents the Rainham and Wennington ward, was called before the regulatory services committee last week after officers decided to take enforcement action against the shed which is 10 metres by 3.5 metres.

The officers’ report said that it was an “unauthorised building” in the back garden of a listed building within the boundaries of the Rainham Village Conservation area.

The report said: “The building detracts from the setting of the listed building and, in particular, from public views available within the cartilage of the listed Rainham Hall.”

The committee agreed as per the officers’ recommendations to remove the unauthorised outbuilding and remove all resultant debris associated with it.

The garden falls within the boundaries of the conservation area and adjoins Rainham Hall, which is a grade two listed building.

The council received a complaint in December 2009 about an outbuilding being constructed near the listed building and along the boundary with Rainham Hall.

The council said sheds like this do not normally need planning permission if they are near a residential property, but because this is next to a mixed use property – where there is a shop on the ground floor, and residential above, and near a listed building permission would be required.

Officers said in the report: “As the building can not be altered to make it more acceptable, it is considered that the building should be demolished in its entirety.”

Cllr Steven Kelly, sitting on the committee, said: “There is no doubt there is a contravention. It is in contravention of so many things. The fact that he has a business with a 30 square building to store his goods in is ridiculous.”

An officer said during the meeting: “We have visited the site and we have been advising the owner to apply for planning permission but we haven’t been able to resolve it through these efforts.”

Cllr Keith Darvill added: “The owner needs to make a planning application so that it can go through this committee properly.”

Cllr Jeff Tucker said after the meeting: “Anybody can build a shed in their garden. I shouldn’t have to have planning permission for a shed of this size.

“There were buildings there before, but I have knocked the buildings down and improved the area. It’s only a timber building for storage and is on my land; it has vastly improved the area.”