AN OAP who built a £500,000 home has been ordered to tear it down and pay £10k in compensation after it was found to be illegal.
Peter Dick, 74, has spent the last 11 years fighting to keep his red bricked chalet bungalow after building it on greenbelt land in West Parley, Dorset.
4
4
4
The property, named Long Croft, was erected 400m inside a protected area back in 2010.
It wasn’t until two years later, Dick submitted an application to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council hoping to legalise the home.
However, the local council denied his application and ordered him to demolish it – which he ignored.
And seven years later in 2019, BCP Council sent him another notice asking him to knock it down.
Instead of complying, he built an 8ft high and 20ft long padlocked gate at the front of the bungalow.
Despite being taken to court in 2021, the home still stood prompting Dick to be dragged back.
Now re-appearing at Poole Magistrates’ Court, Dick admitted breaching an enforcement notice for “failing to carry out works to demolish an unauthorised home”.
Addressing the court, Dick said he built the home to help his disabled wife.
Most read in Money
He said: “My wife has muscular dystrophy which is progressive and the layout of the house is designed for her.
“The older structure, a converted industrial building, does not have facilities for her.”
His lawyer Simon Bell argued if the property is knocked down, Dick and his wife would have no where else to live.
Mr Bell said: “Mr Dick finds himself in the position where he has an unlawful property on his land and no other property to live in.
“His wife has a serious medical condition which has progressed.
“He finds himself in a difficult place where the planning regime doesn’t work as well as it should have.”
Despite this, Dick was told the demolishing order was still in place.
He would also have to pay a fine of £7,500, a £190 surcharge and £3,269 in costs.
Mary Almeida, prosecuting, said: “I appreciate it was 11 years ago but there is a long history to this, with numerous planning applications and appeals and extensions to comply with said notice.
“The last one was in 2021, which allowed the defendant to comply with the notice until November 27, 2021.
“Mr Dick is still in breach of the notice.”
Sentencing, Magistrate Chair David Murray added: “You have taken a course of action which has put you on a collision course with council and planning rules.”
What are my rights when applying for planning permission?
According to the Government website, planning permission must be applied for if you’re going to build something new, make a major change or change the use of your building.
If your project needs planning permission and you do the work without getting it, you can be served an enforcement notice.
This will order you to undo all the changes made.
However you can appeal.
Find out if you qualify for an appeal here.
4
