Facing demolition, new house which is just too big . . .

PLANNERS BACK NEIGHBOURS AND THROW OUT PLEA BY OWNER AFTER PLANNING RULES BROKEN

A NEW house may have to be knocked down after councillors rejected an offer made by the owners after they were found to have breached planning permission.

Planners had given the go-ahead for extensions to a pair of houses, merging them into one home.

But town hall officers discovered that large parts of the original houses were demolished and the new property was larger than had been agreed.

Neighbours living in the shadow of the new house have described it as a monstrosity which has become ‘overpowering and intimidating’. In December, the developer was asked by the planning committee to address concerns over a dormer window on the top floor which neighbours feared would look into their children’s bedroom.

Applicant Amir Ali, who spoke at the planning committee meeting, urged councillors to accept compromises which included a smaller dormer and the removal of the Juliette balconies.

But councillors asked Mr Ali, who blamed his builders for the breaches in planning permission, why they should trust him not to break the rules again. He said: “As an owner of the property, I’m paying someone a wage so I’m leaving them to get on with the work, I turn up in the evening and expect the job to be done and just to watch the progress.

“Now, knowing the issues and knowing the complaints, I will stay on top of it.”

Garry Bryon, who spoke on behalf of neighbours at the meeting, said the house in Plodder Lane, Bolton, was not in-keeping with other style of houses in the area.

He said: “The fact is the increase of length and depth adds some 17 square metres of area to both the ground and first floors, allowing what was originally planned and approved as a four to five-bedroomed house to now become a six to seven-bedroomed house.

“This makes what already would have been a very large building even larger with the visual impact of overpowering and intimidating those homes which surround it.

“The effect of domination and overpowering is such that the people who live to the side and rear can no longer enjoy sitting in their respective gardens.”

The votes on the committee were tied seven for and seven against refusing permission leaving chairman Coun John Walsh with the casting vote.

He decided to refuse retrospective planning permission for the property.

A council spokesman said: “Following planning committee’s decision, we will be reviewing what needs to take place next.”