Developer faces big bill to reduce roof height

A DEVELOPER has claimed that he is being forced to spend up to £30,000 to reduce the height of a house by “the width of a peanut”.

Eco Custom Homes has been ordered to lower the height of the new-build house in Beverley, which is taller than the approved plans. The developer claims the required reduction is just 13mm.

Planning officers for East Riding Council ruled the house at No 3 The Old Racing Stables, in Coombs Yard, off North Bar Within, did not comply with plans approved in December. A council enforcement notice stated the house had a top-heavy and awkward appearance in a conservation area.

Wayne Low, managing director of Eco Custom Homes, said the decision would mean having to carry out works at a cost of around £30,000. He said the decision was nonsense and pledged to lodge an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate.

He said: “In the plans that were approved we were allowed to build this 157mm higher than the house to the east, we went 13mm higher than that. If we were to do what these officers say, we would have to somehow raise the roof of a now completed and much sought-after property, remove a few bricks, and put the roof back down, costing us around £30,000. I guarantee, no one living next door or any passer-by would notice the slightest difference.”

Plans submitted for the house proposed an overall ridge height of 7.167 metres while the eaves would be 5.5 metres. A distance of 1.13 metres between the top of the first floor window and the eaves was proposed and approved. However, planning officers stated that their measurements showed that the ridge was 7.67 metres high, with the eaves measuring 6.14 metres.

Coun David Nolan, a former chair of the planning committee, is set to raise the issue at the council’s next full meeting on April 5. He said the decision was bonkers.