20 October 2023 , 09:59
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A dad-of-two has been threatened with court action after he failed to demolish a £300,000 'monster mansion' he built without planning permission.
Walsall Council has also said it could enter Gurwinder Singh's land to carry out the work - and recover the costs - if he continued to ignore an enforcement notice instructing its demolition. The delivery driver was granted permission to build a modest extension to his semi-detached home in Willenhall back in 2020. However, he bulldozed the entire building and started work on creating a new four-bedroom home.
A retrospective planning application was rejected by the council, which instead issued an enforcement notice, ordering Mr Singh to demolish the half-built construction. He appealed to the Planning Inspectorate in a last-ditch attempt to save his dream home but that was also dismissed.
The dad built the 'Travelodge' without planning consent (SWNS)He was then handed five deadlines, with the first giving him until October 7 to demolish the building, which furious neighbours have likened to a Travelodge. The remaining deadlines order Mr Singh to stabilise the adjoining property by November 7 and remove all below ground works by December 7, reports BirminghamLive.
The homeowner was told he needed to submit a detailed coal mining assessment by January 7 next year and was given until the following April 7 to remove all rubble from the site. In light of the first deadline being missed, the council said it would be "monitoring the compliance".
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Walsall Council says it could choose to enter the property to carry out the work itself (SWNS)A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Following the dismissal of an appeal against the enforcement notice to demolish the unlawful partially constructed dwelling, the enforcement notice recommenced. Within the notice there are a series of deadlines for compliance, the first of these was October 7, 2023, to demolish the partially constructed dwelling and outbuilding to ground level.
"The council has written to the owner, confirming they are in breach of this part of the enforcement notice. The council is monitoring the compliance of the enforcement notice. If the owner is still in breach of the enforcement notice after the final April 7, 2024 deadline, the council will present the case to court. The council also confirmed, if the owner remains in breach of the enforcement notice, the council can enter the land and carry out the works and will recover the councils costs in doing the works."