I went to war with council over ‘illegal' garden deck & WON thanks to Google Earth – they didn't have a leg to stand on
Homeowner used google earth time stamps to save his decking
ON DECK I went to war with council over 'illegal' garden deck & WON thanks to Google Earth – they didn't have a leg to stand on
A HOMEOWNER has won an ongoing row with the council over his decking, thanks to Google Earth.
Gareth Leek, 58, was left stunned after planning officials claimed he needed retrospective permission for a garden decking that had been in place for eight years.
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Mr Leek used Google Earth to prove that he should be allowed to keep his decking
Credit: WNS
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According to the satellite images it had been in place for eight years
Credit: WNS
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The decking stands 83cm tall
Credit: Google
According to councillors, the raised grey and white platform stood too tall at 83cm high, which is half a metre over the limit requiring planning permission.
But, instead of backing down, Mr Leek, who lives in Pontypool, Gwent, took to Google Earth to save his beloved decking.
If an unauthorised extension has been in place for more than four years without enforcement action you may legally be allowed to keep it.
The aerial snap provided by the app showed the decking firmly in place in June 2018.
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This proof that it had been there for eight years meant that Mr Leek should legally be allowed to keep it.
He was also backed up by a neighbour who claimed the decking was in place in the garden since at least 2019.
A planning hearing heard Mr Leek had retrospectively applied for a certificate of lawful development.
According to the MaileOnline, planning officer Simon Pritchard acknowledged the evidence presented by Mr Leek, which came complete with a Google Earth aerial image from June 2018.
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Mr Pritchard said the council had no evidence or reason to doubt that the decking had not been 'substantially completed for less than four years' and Mr Leek was told he could keep it.
This also isn't the first time technology has been used as evidence in planning rows.
In 2023, Dorset Council used Google Earth to prove that a resident had illegally built a decking and an extension.
Satellite photos were able to prove that Colin Thomas's claims that his decking had existed for more than four years, were false.
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As a result, Mr Thomas now faces the prospect of demolishing his rear extension and raised decking.
Earlier this month, Oldham Council also rejected a retrospective planning application over a porch extension that left neighbours in uproar.
While Mr Leek's neighbor seemed to come out in support, The Khanom family faced backlash from the community and a £2,000 fine from the council for building a porch that locals claim resembled the Trafford centre.
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This isn't the first time Google Earth has been used in planning rows
Credit: WNS
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Mr Leek's evidence once over the council and he was told he could keep his beloved decking
Credit: WNS
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The decking measured 4.84m wide and 3.82m long
Credit: WNS
A Gloucester businessman was also locked in a bitter row with developers earlier this year, over a two brick high wall which he insisted belonged to him.
Roger White, 58, went head to head with the developers of a new housing estate in April, after they revealed plans to knock down the wall to create an emergency access route, required in their planning permission.
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With both parties declaring ownership, White has been left feeling as if they want to 'bulldoze' the wall that he claims he inherited from his father in 1997.
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Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I went to war with council over ‘illegal' garden deck & WON thanks to Google Earth – they didn't have a leg to stand on
Homeowner used google earth time stamps to save his decking ON DECK I went to war with council over 'illegal' garden deck & WON thanks to Google Earth – they didn't have a leg to stand on A HOMEOWNER has won an ongoing row with the council over his decking, thanks to Google Earth. Gareth Leek, 58, was left stunned after planning officials claimed he needed retrospective permission for a garden decking that had been in place for eight years. Advertisement 6 Mr Leek used Google Earth to prove that he should be allowed to keep his decking Credit: WNS 6 According to the satellite images it had been in place for eight years Credit: WNS 6 The decking stands 83cm tall Credit: Google According to councillors, the raised grey and white platform stood too tall at 83cm high, which is half a metre over the limit requiring planning permission. But, instead of backing down, Mr Leek, who lives in Pontypool, Gwent, took to Google Earth to save his beloved decking. If an unauthorised extension has been in place for more than four years without enforcement action you may legally be allowed to keep it. The aerial snap provided by the app showed the decking firmly in place in June 2018. Advertisement This proof that it had been there for eight years meant that Mr Leek should legally be allowed to keep it. He was also backed up by a neighbour who claimed the decking was in place in the garden since at least 2019. A planning hearing heard Mr Leek had retrospectively applied for a certificate of lawful development. According to the MaileOnline, planning officer Simon Pritchard acknowledged the evidence presented by Mr Leek, which came complete with a Google Earth aerial image from June 2018. Advertisement Mr Pritchard said the council had no evidence or reason to doubt that the decking had not been 'substantially completed for less than four years' and Mr Leek was told he could keep it. This also isn't the first time technology has been used as evidence in planning rows. In 2023, Dorset Council used Google Earth to prove that a resident had illegally built a decking and an extension. Satellite photos were able to prove that Colin Thomas's claims that his decking had existed for more than four years, were false. Advertisement As a result, Mr Thomas now faces the prospect of demolishing his rear extension and raised decking. Earlier this month, Oldham Council also rejected a retrospective planning application over a porch extension that left neighbours in uproar. While Mr Leek's neighbor seemed to come out in support, The Khanom family faced backlash from the community and a £2,000 fine from the council for building a porch that locals claim resembled the Trafford centre. 6 This isn't the first time Google Earth has been used in planning rows Credit: WNS Advertisement 6 Mr Leek's evidence once over the council and he was told he could keep his beloved decking Credit: WNS 6 The decking measured 4.84m wide and 3.82m long Credit: WNS A Gloucester businessman was also locked in a bitter row with developers earlier this year, over a two brick high wall which he insisted belonged to him. Roger White, 58, went head to head with the developers of a new housing estate in April, after they revealed plans to knock down the wall to create an emergency access route, required in their planning permission. Advertisement With both parties declaring ownership, White has been left feeling as if they want to 'bulldoze' the wall that he claims he inherited from his father in 1997.
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
I went to war with council over ‘illegal' garden deck & WON thanks to Google Earth – they didn't have a leg to stand on
A HOMEOWNER has won an ongoing row with the council over his decking, thanks to Google Earth. Gareth Leek, 58, was left stunned after planning officials claimed he needed retrospective permission for a garden decking that had been in place for eight years. 6 6 6 According to councillors, the raised grey and white platform stood too tall at 83cm high, which is half a metre over the limit requiring planning permission. But, instead of backing down, Mr Leek, who lives in Pontypool, Gwent, took to Google Earth to save his beloved decking. If an unauthorised extension has been in place for more than four years without enforcement action you may legally be allowed to keep it. The aerial snap provided by the app showed the decking firmly in place in June 2018. This proof that it had been there for eight years meant that Mr Leek should legally be allowed to keep it. He was also backed up by a neighbour who claimed the decking was in place in the garden since at least 2019. A planning hearing heard Mr Leek had retrospectively applied for a certificate of lawful development. According to the MaileOnline, planning officer Simon Pritchard acknowledged the evidence presented by Mr Leek, which came complete with a Google Earth aerial image from June 2018. Mr Pritchard said the council had no evidence or reason to doubt that the decking had not been 'substantially completed for less than four years' and Mr Leek was told he could keep it. This also isn't the first time technology has been used as evidence in planning rows. In 2023, Dorset Council used Google Earth to prove that a resident had illegally built a decking and an extension. Satellite photos were able to prove that Colin Thomas's claims that his decking had existed for more than four years, were false. As a result, Mr Thomas now faces the prospect of demolishing his rear extension and raised decking. Earlier this month, Oldham Council also rejected a retrospective planning application over a porch extension that left neighbours in uproar. While Mr Leek's neighbor seemed to come out in support, The Khanom family faced backlash from the community and a £2,000 fine from the council for building a porch that locals claim resembled the Trafford centre. 6 6 6 A Gloucester businessman was also locked in a bitter row with developers earlier this year, over a two brick high wall which he insisted belonged to him. Roger White, 58, went head to head with the developers of a new housing estate in April, after they revealed plans to knock down the wall to create an emergency access route, required in their planning permission. With both parties declaring ownership, White has been left feeling as if they want to 'bulldoze' the wall that he claims he inherited from his father in 1997. What are your rights in this situation? If the council refuse planning permission you can appeal their decision. Appeals can take several months to be decided. You can only appeal against a decision if the LPA: Refuses your application Grants permission but with conditions you object to Refuses to change or remove a condition of planning permission that has been granted with conditions Refuses to approve something reserved under an 'outline permission' – planning permission for a general idea, not of a specific plan Refuses to approve something that you were told to build by your LPA as part of a previous planning permission – the current development was one of the 'conditions' stated in the previous planning permission Does not make a decision on the application within the deadline and does not get your written consent to change the deadline serves you with an enforcement notice because it thinks you have broken planning permission and you do not agree
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7 hours ago
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Keyword cannibalisation: what is it and how do you fix it?
As SEOs and digital marketers, we rely on keyword optimisation to rank our content higher in search results. The more keywords we cover, the better our overall search presence will be. Because of this, it's very easy to fall into the trap of producing numerous pieces on the same topic, hoping that Google will choose one to rank highly. However, this approach can and will lead to keyword cannibalisation issues and ultimately reduce the chances of any single page ranking well. Here, we'll break down what keyword cannibalisation is, how to avoid it, and how to fix it using SEO tools and best practices. What is keyword cannibalisation? Keyword cannibalisation is when similar content on different pages of your site compete for the same keyword. In instances of cannibalisation, pages will be in conflict with each other for one spot on the SERPs. Typically, the end result is that none of the pages rank well for the target keyword, significantly impacting performance and preventing your website from reaching its full potential. Some examples of keyword cannibalisation Imagine you're planning a hiking trip and need a reliable pair of trainers. You head to Google and search for 'best trainers for hiking'. Among the top results, you find two articles from the same website, one titled The Best Trainers for Long Hikes, and the other The Best Trainers for Long-Distance Walks. Although both titles align with your search intent, it may be difficult to decide which is most relevant and up-to-date. Google views this scenario in exactly the same way. When its crawlers encounter multiple articles from the same site targeting nearly identical keywords, it can cause confusion. This overlap may be interpreted as duplicate content, potentially resulting in lower search rankings and a loss of authority and trust for the site. How keyword cannibalisation impacts performance It's easy to see why keyword cannibalisation is harmful, but understanding why it undermines your site's SEO is key to resolving the issue: Internal competition Instead of one strong page ranking highly, Google may distribute authority across several weaker pages, meaning none of them perform as well as they could have done individually. This weakens your overall visibility. Reduced authority Each page ends up competing for clicks, backlinks and user engagement metrics, such as dwell time. As a result, your potential link equity and authority are diluted across multiple pages, reducing the ranking strength of each piece of content. Confused search intent When your pages overlap, it becomes unclear to Google which page is the best answer for a search query. This confusion can result in lower rankings for all the competing pages and a poor user experience, as visitors may struggle to find the most relevant content on your site. How to fix keyword cannibalisation Addressing keyword cannibalisation involves refining your content strategy to ensure each page has a distinct focus and purpose. Here's how to fix it: Audit your content Start by conducting a full content audit using tools such as PiDatametrics or Google Search Console. Look for multiple pages ranking for the same term, or pages with very similar content that could confuse search engines. Consolidate similar content If you have multiple pages covering the same topic, consider consolidating them into a single, detailed resource. Use 301 redirects from the old URLs to the new page to preserve link equity and ensure a seamless user experience. Revise content focus There will be times when instead of merging content you can repurpose it. In these instances, review the content to ensure each page targets a distinct keyword and serves a unique purpose. Use keyword variations, different angles, or more specific long-tail keywords to differentiate the pages. Use canonical tags In cases where merging or deleting content isn't possible – for example similar product pages on an e-commerce site – use canonical tags to signal to Google which version should be treated as the primary source. This helps avoid internal competition in search results and consolidates ranking signals. Optimise internal linking Use internal links strategically to signal to Google which page is most authoritative for a particular topic. For instance, if you want one article to rank as the definitive guide for 'best hiking boots', link to it from other related pages, using relevant anchor text. This strengthens the internal hierarchy of your content and boosts the targeted page's chances of ranking higher. Create a content strategy Once you've resolved existing keyword cannibalisation issues, prevent them from recurring by developing a content strategy that maps out target keywords and topics for each page. Regularly review and update this strategy to ensure your site remains well-structured and SEO-friendly. Final thoughts Keyword cannibalisation is a common pitfall, but with the right approach it's completely manageable. By auditing your content, consolidating where necessary and maintaining a structured content strategy, you'll not only resolve internal competition but also strengthen your site's overall SEO performance. Focus on creating unique, high-quality content for each keyword to ensure that every page is optimised to reach its full potential.
