Oil and gas boss ordered to take down fence built without permission in Aberdeen

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An oil and gas boss has been ordered to remove a fence outside a property by Aberdeen City Council after it was built without permission David Lawrie, the former director of BP Exploration (Delta), had built the controversial barrier around a patch of ground behind his home at Craigden in Countesswells.

He argued it was needed to stop vandals from accessing the site, where they had previously damaged trees and fences, set fires and left litter lying everywhere.Mr Lawrie even bought the 781 square metre area back in 2019 in a bid to tackle the problem himself.

After informing Aberdeen City Council of his plan to fence off the ground, he didn't hear anything back so went ahead with the project.A 1.8-metre timber fence was then installed around the site, and the issue seemed to have been solved.

However, the local authority contacted the oil and gas executive last summer claiming he was using the ground as a private garden.The claim was shot down by Mr Lawrie, who informed the council that the area was being used as a "community garden" by himself and his neighbours.