I spent my £35,000 life savings on building my dream home – now the council has told us to rip it down
A COUPLE spent £35,000 renovating their home but the council demanded they tear it down.
Conor Jones and Paris Pledger were assured by experts that the extension to their two-bed home did not need planning permission.
But the council told them the roof extension had to be demolished just after work had finished on it.
Calum, of Cheshunt, Herts, told the Telegraph: “We thought we had done everything correctly. It has been extremely distressing.
“We wanted to stay in the area due to the good schools and safe neighbourhood. We have put our life savings into this.”
The cabbie wanted to start a family with Paris, a nanny, but three-bed homes were too expensive.
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They bought a two-bed starter home to renovate and extend after listening to TV property pundits.
Other experts told them to use permitted development rights to avoid planning applications.
PDRs remove red tape for planning permission, allowing homeowners to make minor modifications without the faff of an application.
But a condition removed the PDR was removed from Calum and Paris’ home when the estate was built in 1985.
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Their extension was allowed retrospectively after an appeal.
The inspector concluded that the extension was conventional, commonplace and similar to many others in the area.
Earlier this month we told how a gran is being forced to demolish her £50,000 extension.
Linda Webb, 66, said she was wrongly convinced by builders that she did not need planning permission.
But she is is refusing to tear down the single-storey rear extension on her home in Wraysbury in an ongoing spat with Windsor and Maidenhead Council.
Another family are facing a £50,000 fine is they do not demolish a summer house which they built for their daughters for £3,000.
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James Bevis and his partner Louise constructed their extension four years ago with no objections from neighbours in Dalkeith, Scotland.
But the council now claims they needed planning permission for the budget DIY extension because it was in front of their home.