A MILLIONAIRE who was imprisoned after refusing to tear down his huge man cave is driving neighbours mad by parking his classic cars outside their homes.
Loaded accountant Graham Wildin, 70, was banged up for six weeks in August after refusing to tear down his massive 10,000 sq ft extension.
6
6
6
6
Mr Wildin failed to comply with court demands to clear out the lavish man cave – which includes a bowling alley, cinema, casino and bar.
Now back in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, he is accused by neighbours of causing them more misery by allegedly refusing to move his fleet of luxury cars from outside their homes.
They claim that they cannot even nip to the shops without risking losing their parking space on the narrow road they share.
Residents allege that Mr Wildin uses a string of CCTV cameras to spot the moment a neighbour drives off, allowing to quickly move one of his motors into the empty space.
One local, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said: “He literally watches people all the time. We are really up in arms about this.
“We’re trying to have a camera fitted on the street to do to him what he’s doing to us.
“It was pretty bad before he went to prison but since he has come out, it’s just got worse. We thought maybe a taste of jail might make him see sense.
“He was in Cardiff prison – he wasn’t in an open prison. He was in a proper tough prison.
“But he has obviously been sat in there thinking ‘how can I get at these neighbours even more?’”
Most read in Money
Mr Wildin’s massive man cave went up eight years ago without permission and he was initially given until the end of April 2020 to tear it down.
He told a court that an injunction would ruin him – stating that demolishing the complex would cost him £720,000.
There was no sign of Mr Wildin at his home where workmen were on site.
But eight cars, including a Porsche Caymen, and a van said to belong to him were parked along the narrow cul-de-sac.
Locals said that Mr Wildin installed a wildlife camera in a Bentley parked on the road after number plates were ripped from his vehicles.
And a neighbour said she now has to “think twice” about getting in her car for fear of having nowhere to park when she gets back.
She said: “You go to work or to the shops thinking ‘oh God, I hope he’s not plonked a Porsche outside the house’.
“He will watch on his cameras to see if you’ve driven away to work or the shops, and he’ll go out and park one of his cars where yours was.
6
6
“You have to really think about going out – because there might not be a space when you get back. It’s just a complete nightmare.
“He lives in a fantasy world. He thinks he can just do what he likes.
“We are all just worried to death about what he might do next.
“Prison has not changed him and, to be honest, I don’t think anything will.
“He blames us for the council getting involved with the leisure centre he has built back there.
“This is Graham’s way of getting back at us. I think he wants a confrontation out of us.
“But we are trying not to react, stay calm, and complain down the proper routes.”
Locals have had summits with police and council officials to try and work out a way forward.
In April last year, Wildin was given 18-weeks to cut off the water, electricity and gas and remove all the fixtures, fittings and furniture from inside the man cave.
But a court heard that when a council officer turned up in August 2021, he found lights on, taps running, toilets flushing and the sound of the gas boiler.
A casino and bar had been removed but most of work that needed to be done to comply with the court order had not been carried out.
Upon his prison release, Mr Wildin was given 18 weeks to render the building unusable or face another day in court.
Mr Wildin did not respond to requests for comment. At the accountancy firm he founded in nearby Lydney, his son Philip refused to speak.
What to do if you have a planning dispute with a neighbour
Neighbours can sometimes be a challenge, especially if they do things you don’t agree with.
Solicitor Vanessa Joll, who specialises in resolving disputes between neighbours has given some advice on certain situations.
Here are some:
- When something has already been built
If your neighbour is building an extension which you think impinges on your light or view, the time to object is early.
If you don’t do it, and they continue with the building work then it is very difficult to retrospectively get that part of the building changed.
- When they’re building something legitimately
Under permitted development rights, it’s possible to extend your house by up to four metres at the rear without planning permission.
They can put up a fence up, as long as it’s on their land, although it would probably be subject to a height restriction.
- If it’s annoying, but not illegal
You could try and take them to court on the grounds that their behaviour affects you negatively.
You could either apply for an injunction to have it removed, or claim for damages.
However, the cost of pursuing the claim may be more than what you actually get back.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
