A COAL merchant who was forced to demolish his dream home has been awarded over £70,000 in compensation.

Salford City Council have been ordered to pay £67,327.98 and Wigan Council to pay £3,359 to Astley Green fuel dealer Paul Rogers after a string of planning mistakes relating to his Green Belt farmhouse rebuild.

Local government ombudsman Mrs Patricia Thomas found Mr Rogers had been wrongly told by a Salford officer that he did not need planning permission to restore derelict Nook Farm house on Astley Moss.

Salford City council leader Bill Hinds said they accepted there had been serious failings and had now paid compensation but they had challenged the balance of reparation.

He said: "If Wigan had not made the initial cock-up and referred the case to us, none of this unfortunate sequence of events would have happened."

Two years ago Mr Rogers began restoring the farmhouse set in four acres off Nook Lane.

In January 2000 he was told by a Wigan Council enforcement officer he needed planning permission and building regulation approval.

Failed to check

But her principal officer determined the property was in Salford, having failed to check unreliable computer data. Information provided by the computer had identified Rawson's i'th' Nook Farm -- which is in Salford -- rather than Mr Rogers' neighbouring property which lies a few hundred yards westwards within Wigan.

A map of the wrong house was then faxed to Salford.

Mrs Thomas found that Salford's case officer did not visit the site or check adequately, failed to refer the matter to the enforcement section and told Mr Rogers he did not need planning permission and could start building again. After a fortnight's delay the case officer referred the matter ot a building control officer who visited the site.

In February a landowning company told Wigan Council that Mr Rogers' property was in fact in Wigan and the Council told Mr Rogers to stop building.

Wigan Council planning chiefs then refused Mr Rogers' application for planning permission saying the property had deteriorated to such an extent there was no longer a lawful residential use and there was no reason to overturn the presumption of no development on green belt. He lost an appeal and had to demolish the house in April this year.

Mr Rogers, 49, said: "I've not been given anything I shouldn't have been given. I'm pleased a bit of justice has been done."

He said the compensation should have been more -- because he feels two years of his life have been wasted and he would have liked an apology from Wigan Council.

Salford Council are to conduct their own investigation and say they have already tightened up procedures.

Misled

A Wigan Council spokesman said: "Regrettably our staff were initially misled about the location as a result of incorrect property and map information in computer data provided by a a national commercial supplier. This led them to believe Nook Farm was sited just outside our boundary and hence the issue was referred to Salford"

"Our staff acted in good faith but obviously we regret having been misled to the incorrect referral to Salford."