A Pembroke lot which was strewn with abandoned cars and spare parts has been forcefully cleared following complaints from neighbours and a two-year battle to address the illegal use of the property.

The Planning Department elected to get tough with the lot operator last month and wants the community to be aware that if Planning regulations are flouted the department will take action - with offenders left footing the bill.

Director Rudolph Hollis told The Royal Gazette a decision was made to take enforcement action against the operator of the lot on St. Augustine Lane after consultation with the Attorney General's office.

After notifying the man using the lot - Wilbur Lister - to no avail, Works and Engineering crews were sent in just before Christmas to clear the land.

The crews removed 32 abandoned vehicles and two shipping containers as well as other junk, Mr. Hollis said yesterday.

The lot in question was not zoned for industrial use, Mr. Hollis explained and when scrap vehicles began to appear on the land, neighbours complained to the Planning Department.

“We went by and took pictures from time to time,” said Mr. Hollis. “And over time the number of vehicles actually increased.

“We then put the owner on notice clear the land but no action was taken and this went on for two years.”

It was decided action had to be taken against the illegal - and unsightly - situation at the lot.

Mr. Hollis said the department was told it could pass a file on to the Director of Public Prosecutions office for prosecution or use provisions in Bermuda's building code to have the lot cleared and to pass the cost of the action on to Mr. Lister.

Planning opted for the latter and - barring action from Mr. Lister in the next month - the items cleared will soon be disposed of.

“It was not cleared for two years and neighbours called because he was doing body work - which was not allowed - and the numbers kept increasing,” said Mr. Hollis.

“In conjunction with the Ministry of Works and Engineering, we went by and cleared the site of all vehicles on December 19. It took us about two days.”

Mr. Hollis said all that has been left behind at the lot are a couple of buckets.

“The difficulty now is going through the process of receiving compensation for the costs,” he added.

The vehicles and parts removed from the lot are being stored by Works and Engineering while the cost of clearing the property and storing the material will be passed on to Mr. Lister.

“If he doesn't collect the property “If he doesn't collect the property within a month, he will be billed for the costs associated with its disposal as well,” said Mr. Hollis.

Last night, Mr. Lister said he was “very hurt” by the action taken by the Planning Department.

He said he had been renting the lot from one of his cousins and did not realise the land could not be used for industrial purposes.

When he was made aware, Mr. Lister said he began to look for a place to move the abandoned vehicles.

“I couldn't find a place to store the stuff and I asked (Planning) for help but they just cleaned everything,” he said. “Officers came up and took everything. I was shook up.”

Mr. Lister told The Royal Gazette that he had been fixing up the vehicles and that the lot's owner had actually been pleased with what he was doing with the property - although the neighbours were not.

He said he'd tried unsuccessfully to get land at Southside to relocate his repairs-in-progress and also tried to buy the lot that was cleared from the owner in order to apply for a change of use from Planning.

“I was trying my best,” he said.

And he said he would be getting in touch with Mr. Hollis as soon as possible to try and rectify the situation.

But Mr. Hollis said he wants the community to be aware Planning is not a “Pitbull without teeth” and if its regulations are not followed, a loud bark may be followed with a bite in the wallet.