Government MP Derrick Burgess has been asked to stop construction work on his yard after a misunderstanding over the Planning permission.

The Progressive Labour Party backbencher and leader of the Bermuda Industrial Union was called home from work on Wednesday after a neighbour complained to Planning officials over the work.

When he arrived at the house in St. Peter's Road, near Shelly Bay, a Planning official was on-site and talking to a neighbour.

He was told that although he had previously been given permission to build the property and straighten out the yard, he needed separate permission to level off a small banked area over his driveway because it was more than four-foot high.

Mr. Burgess said that was something he had not been made aware of.

But he plans to apply for permission and hopefully get the work completed soon.

The MP has brought in builders to level off the yard area at the back of the property, and to create a better driveway and parking area.

But in doing that, he has temporarily blocked off the driveway, which a nearby neighbour had been using as an alternative access to her house.

That led to the complaints to Planning officials.

But yesterday, a spokesman for the Planning Department said it was Mr.

Burgess' land and nobody else had an automatic right of way to it.

He said if Mr. Burgess wanted to allow people to use the driveway, that was fine, but nobody else had a right to make a claim to it.

And the spokesman said the issue over the Planning permission had merely been a "misunderstanding''.

He added: "Mr. Burgess voluntarily stopped the work. He is now going to put in an application for permission for this work to take place.

"In the meantime, nothing else will happen. He may have removed the rest of the rubble, but nothing else will be done.

"It was simply a misunderstanding and it is very amicable.'' And as for neighbours using the driveway, he said they had no legal rights whatsoever.

He said they may have been using it to get to their own properties, but that does not make it a legal right of way.

Every property had their own access, he said.

"They have no legal right to cross over his property at all,'' he added.

Mr. Burgess said: "All I'm trying to do is enhance my property. I only need permission for a small portion of the work. I had no idea I needed separate permission.

"Hopefully, it will be sorted out soon.''