A CHARITY for disabled people has been forced to pay £2,000 following a planning row with the council over a garden shed put on green belt land.

Disability Essex, which provides training and education courses, was donated the wooden shed with a veranda, by Essex Youth Trust to store gardening and play equipment.

However, Rochford Council said the 16ft by 10ft shed was too big and had to be moved off the green belt.

The charity, based in Rocheway, Rochford, appealed and lost. It has cost them £2,000. Richard Boyd, chief executive of the charity, said the decision makes no sense.

He said: “We get the impression the council does not want to help us.

“The site where the shed is was where the site officer said it should go.

“So we did what the council suggested – applied for retrospective planning permission – and it still refused it.”

Mr Boyd said the charity now had until October to move the shed or face a £20,000 fine.

He added: “We are in talks with Essex County Council to try to move the shed on to a bit of its land where the adult community college is, 12ft away, which would not need planning permission.”

Planning councillor Keith Hudson, said: “The site has proved difficult because it was on green belt land.

“The building was given special permission because it was built on green belt land, but that does not extend to other building work being automatically accepted.”