THE owner of a boarded-up shop unit has been ordered to carry out urgent repairs after he backed down from a legal battle with the council.

Barrow Council was taken to court by Andrew Dixon after he said work he was ordered to carry out on a building had already been completed.

But after discussions with the council he dropped the appeal and agreed to carry out the works by September.

The council serviced a section 215 enforcement notice on the property at 7 Risedale Road saying the wider area was being 'adversely affected' by the condition of the building.

The council has ordered the owner to urgently improve the look of the outside of the unit.

It has been ordered that the temporary board be removed from the ground floor window and the front door is replaced and painted.

Joinery on the outside of the property must also be repainted white or cream.

Serving the order, Barrow Council said: "This notice is served by the council under Section 215 because it appears to them that the amenity of part of their area is adversely affected by the condition of the land.

"The Council requires the following steps to be taken for remedying the condition of the land:
"1. Remove temporary boarding from front ground floor window.
"2. Repair and re-glaze all windows as necessary.
"3. Repaint all external joinery with exterior wood primer, exterior undercoat and 2
coats of exterior wood gloss, the finished colour to be white or cream.
"4. Remove any flaking paint from exterior masonry.
"5. Replace and paint front door."

The owner of the building was originally ordered to carry out the work by February 20.

Legal documents from South Cumbria Magistrates' Court said Mr Dixon claimed Barrow Council had acknowledged the works had been completed on December 13.

Explaining why the challenge was withdrawn, documents said: "Mr Dixon withdrew his application to appeal based upon an agreement between the parties that he will complete works as outlined in an email on April 2022 by September 30 2022, and that the Local Authority will remove the s215 notice and charge on the property register forthwith."