Spicer McColl told to remove air con unit by Fenland Council

AN estate agency has been told to get rid of its air conditioning unit or face the wrath of the courts.

Spicer McColl was given 21 days to replace the eyesore on the side of its premises in York Row, Wisbech after it was deemed an “unsympathetic modern addition” to a Grade Two listed building.

A Listed Building enforcement notice was served on the company by Fenland District Council’s planning committee at its meeting last Wednesday.

In a letter to Spicer McColl, the council’s conservation officer Martyn Kendall warned: “Prosecuting action will be taken through the magistrates’ court.”

He added: “I would recommend the air conditioning unit be removed as a matter of urgency.”

The row started in August last year when an enforcement officer spotted the unit on the side of the 17th century building. Spicer McColl’s assistant management surveyor Michael Devine wrote to the council asking for advice about where to relocate the unit.

But when the council called for an update in January, Spicer McColl estates director Andrew Deeks said he knew nothing about the unit.