'Nightmare neighbour' keeps shipping container in garden for TWO years

‘Nightmare neighbour’ STILL hasn’t removed shipping container in her back garden that sparked TWO years of complaints and featured on Channel 5 show despite order to take it away

• Lillie Goddard, 45, moved into a caravan after her home was deemed ‘unsafe’
• She brought in a shipping container to renovate the Swindon, Wilts property
• Neighbours have been complaining about the ‘unsightly’ garden since June 2019
• Mum-of-two Goddard says she is in ‘impossible position’ while trying to fix house

A ‘neighbour from hell’ using a shipping container as a house extension has refused to remove it – despite nearly two years of complaints.

Lillie Goddard, 45, and her children moved into a three-bed static caravan next to her house in Wiltshire, Swindon in 2019 after claiming her property had been declared unsafe for a child to live in.

She then bought the shipping container to store their possessions and building materials inside and her main house is now being rented out to tenants to cover the cost of the caravan and container.

Residents say the large grey steel container and caravan has spoiled a popular public footpath and green since it first arrived in the summer of 2019.

However, despite a barrage of complaints and enforcement notices being served by Swindon Borough Council in November last year, they are no closer to being removed.

Lillie Goddard, 45, from Swindon, Wiltshire, enraged her neighbours in June 2019 when a caravan and a shipping container appeared in her front garden

A heated meeting with residents over the issue was filmed by a Channel 5 camera crew for an episode of ‘Nightmare Neighbour Next Door’ and, in a further blow to furious locals, Lillie has now successfully appealed to the planning inspectorate to block the removal of the caravan.

She hit back at the criticism and said: ‘This is bullying people in low income, which started before there was anything in my garden, and people willing to change their living environment for the better. 

‘The container was emptied ready for removal in November, but a friend let me down on that.

‘I started a study course in January but there was no support funding available so I stopped in March, draining my finances completely.

‘My spouse has a long-term illness and less income than usual so can’t save.. I’ve been kicked out of work without reason so am looking for work and have no benefits.

Despite a barrage of complaints and enforcement notices being served by Swindon Borough Council in November last year, they are no closer to being removed. Pictured: Angry residents beside the ‘unsightly’ shipping container 

‘No bank, government, neighbours or community have helped us financially. I create living spaces and drive the economy.

‘No construction site is pretty, they need storage places and access to delivery.

‘The container will go when the banking system allows property owners to access their own assets without insane eligibility criteria, or I have a job for three months to finance £500 removal, or end of July when my spouse gets redundancy payment.

‘It is very sad that people do not value house renovation as positive addition to the society. I created higher living standards in the house with the help of the container.’

The planning inspectorate took months to decide on the mobile home enforcement order’s fate. 

A heated meeting with residents over the issue was filmed by a Channel 5 camera crew for an episode of ‘Nightmare Neighbour Next Door’ and, in a further blow to furious locals, Lillie has now successfully appealed to the planning inspectorate to block the removal of the caravan

An inspector carried out a site visit earlier this year and then announced just before the Easter weekend that the order should be rejected.

Its decision read: ‘ The description of the alleged breach fails to tell the recipient with reasonable certainty what the breach of planning control is.

‘It is not possible for the recipient of the notice to learn with reasonable certainty what is alleged.

‘The enforcement notice does not specify with sufficient clarity the alleged breach of planning control. [It] is invalid and will be quashed.’

The order made to remove the shipping container was not appealed by Ms Goddard and could still go ahead.

Swindon Borough Council said: ‘We sympathise entirely with the frustrations of local residents because the situation at Loxley Walk has been going on for a considerable amount of time and they want a resolution.

‘However, we must ensure we follow the correct process and it would not have been appropriate for us to take action in relation to the shipping container when we did not know the outcome of the appeal on the mobile home.

‘The council is disappointed with the decisions received from the planning inspectorate, particularly following many recent successes that we have had defending similar notices at appeal.

‘It is regrettable that the inspector did not uphold these notices which were dismissed on technical issues.

‘The council would like to reassure residents that we intend to continue working to achieve a satisfactory conclusion to what the council considers to be an unauthorised development to an end as soon as possible.’

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