PHOTOGRAPHS of trenches dug at a property helped a homeowner show building works had started one day short of a five year deadline.

Planning permission for two extensions and a retaining wall had been granted in July 8 2021 but would have expired, as is standard in line with legislation, after five years without work having started.

Homeowner Mrs P Bird however just managed to meet the deadline with work to dig trenches at her Home Farm home, near Pen y Cae Mawr in the Monmouthshire countryside, having taken place on July 7 this year.

She then whipped in an application the following day to Monmouthshire County Council’s planning department to ask it to issue a certificate to confirm the work was lawful and the 2021 planning permission remains in place or is “extant”.

She supplied photographs of the work in support of her application for a certificate of lawful development which was granted by the council.

Planning officer Ryan Bentley said he had to consider “on the balance of probabilities” if the work had taken place before July 8 this year, the day the application was received.

He said a building regulations application form had also been supplied which confirmed the estimated start date as July 8.

Mr Bentley said under the Town and Country Planning Act a development is deemed to have started when “a material operation takes place”.

His report confirmed works to dig the excavation trenches for the foundations met the requirements under the act and stated: ” A material operation is defined in the act and can include any works of construction, demolition, digging foundations, laying out or constructing a road and a material change in the use of the land.”

He also said there was no contrary evidence.