A NEIGHBOUR has “serious safety concerns” about a former Slough mayor’s illegal rear verandah.

Last month, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported former Labour councillor Avtar Cheema was told to remove an unauthorised single-storey extension to the rear of her property on 40 Dawley Ride.

The planning enforcement notice also told her and her husband Jit Singh Cheema to cease the use of a ground floor side extension, which is used as a self-contained residential accommodation.

Mrs Cheema recently lost her seat at the election as a councillor for Colnbrook with Poyle. During her time as a councillor, she was Slough’s mayor for one year in 2019.

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Planning officers believed the length of the extension is “unacceptable” and the two dwellings split provides a “cramped form of development” that impacts the area’s character, a small level of garden space, and provides “inadequate” car parking that could “jeopardise” highway and pedestrian safety.

Mr Cheema has submitted a retrospective planning application to keep the verandah and is awaiting a decision.

But their neighbour, who was anonymised, submitted an objection to the plan, believing the movement of the structure and its roof in moderate to high winds is a “serious safety concern”.

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The verandah overlaps into their property and the resident supplied pictures of rainwater from the structure draining into their garden, causing flooding.

They also said it is not in keeping with the area and is blocking natural light from their property.

Slough Labour was contacted for comment.