House extension ridiculed as ‘bad DIY job’ and ‘eighth wonder of the world’
AN extension at a house in Swadlincote is being ridiculed on social media - and investigated by planning chiefs.
The Coppice Side home features a first-floor extension built out of blocks, while a second-floor extension seems to have been made from wooden boards.
A small double-glazed window has been wedged among the blocks on the first-floor extension, but there appear to be gaps around the edge of the hole created for the window.
Brickwork beneath the first-floor extension appears to be loose and a number of different building block types appear to have been used to build the extra level to the rear of the home.
The second floor of the building also appears to contain a doubleglazed window which has been wedged between two wooden panels. A new double-glazed window has been created at the front of the house, but also appears to have gaps around the entire outline of the window hole.
The area around the window has been left chipped away, with red bricks showing through.
A search of the South Derbyshire District Council planning portal shows that there has not been a planning application lodged with the authority for the extensions.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the property in an effort to talk to the owner, but nobody came to the door.
Comments on social media have compared the second floor extension to a lookout post; a pigeon coop; a base to shoot clay pigeons from; dubbed it the “eighth wonder of the world”; a “swanky roof bar”; a gun turret; a bird watching hide; and a prison guard tower.
Councillor Mick Mulgrew, who is one of the area’s ward councillors, told the LDRS: “It is every bit as bad as everyone says it is. It is not good.
“I don’t think a building inspector will have looked at it yet but I don’t think it would pass the test.
“It looks like a bad DIY job to be honest.”
A district council spokesperson told the LDRS: “The council has received concerns about this structure and the council’s planning enforcement team is investigating if planning permission is needed or whether the works benefit from legal rights afforded to developers.”