15 March 2023 , 21:18
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A man demolished his £800,000 house without permission from the local council, a court has heard.
Mohammed Ali Khan, 45, began tearing down his three-bedroom semi-detached house on Grove Road in Isleworth, West London, in January 2022.
Photos shared by the council show how the building was completely destroyed with only the front of the house hiding a mountain of bricks, reports MyLondon.
The Local Authority issued a dangerous structure notice until the remaining front facade is removed or the house is rebuilt.
After a trial at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on February 3, Khan, of Thornbury Road, was found guilty of instructing a contractor to demolish a building without notifying the Local Authority as required by section 80(2) of the Building Act 1984.
London flat for rent for £1,400 a month with bed tucked away in kitchen cupboard
The homeowner did not get permission from the Local Authority (Hounslow Council / SWNS)He has now been ordered by the judge to pay a fine of £6,043.34.
Hounslow Council's Building Control Service led the investigations after being alerted to the actions by neighbours concerned for their safety and wellbeing.
Reacting to the court judgement Councillor Tom Bruce, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development at Hounslow Council, said: "I hope this prosecution and hefty fine sends a strong signal that we take these types of crime - which blight our neighbourhoods and threaten the safety of residents – very seriously and are fully prepared to pursue them.
"Flagrant and reckless breaches of planning rules and building regulations are not acceptable in our borough.
The house before it was demolished (Hounslow Council / SWNS)"This serves as a reminder to every resident that the correct procedures must be followed when undertaking construction on your property or hiring contractors."
Houses on Thornbury Road sell for £800,000, as the suburb is close to Isleworth railway station.
The area is also within reach of Kew Gardens, Twickenham stadium and Hounslow town centre.
The council has slammed Khan's actions as "flagrant and reckless" and promised to come down hard on anyone trying to do the same.