A homeowner who spent £170,000 building a two-storey detached house in her back garden is facing having to rip it down – because she never got planning permission.
Clair Birch, 58, had originally sought approval for a one-bedroom annexe to replace an existing garage at their semi-detached property, so her disabled daughter could have some independence.
But neighbours said they were left stunned when a stand-alone ‘eyesore’ property resembling an ‘extended bungalow’ was thrown up in the Worcester back garden instead.
The local council has now refused retrospective planning permission saying the ‘overbearing’ building works resemble a self-contained house rather than an annexe.
Ms Birch now faces having to tear down the property if a resolution isn’t found and condemned ‘snotty neighbours’ for ‘making life hell’.
Residents have complained that the imposing build breaches privacy and doesn’t fit in with the character of any of the surrounding homes.
One resident said the annexe extends onto their land and has caused damage, while another said the planned extension was at one point referred to as an Airbnb in the planning application.
That resident, who did not wish to be named, added: ‘We simply call it ‘the big house’ – they knocked it up in no time.
Clair Birch sought permission for a one-bedroom annexe to replace a garage – but neighbours have branded the new build an ‘eyesore’
One resident said the annexe extends onto their land and has caused damage, while another said it was at one point referred to as an Airbnb
A neighbour claimed Ms Birch had run ‘separate lines down for water and power’, but the mother said the annexe (right) ‘hasn’t got its own utilities’ and was ‘linked’ to her house (left)
‘They had an extension built on the back of the semi, plus a lean-to and a small garage. I thought they were rebuilding the garage but it just kept on going.
‘They’ve fenced it all off into a separate property, it effectively stands alone. It’s like a bungalow now.
‘I put a complaint in after seeing how big it was and then further complaints went in.
‘They’ve actually built the place onto next-doors property. I know they built it onto the shared party wall without speaking to their neighbours.’
The resident claimed Ms Birch had run ‘separate lines down for water and power’, but the mother said the annexe ‘hasn’t got its own utilities’ and was ‘linked’ to her house.
The neighbour added: ‘I believe they wanted to get it up as quickly as possible to stop it being rejected.
‘It is massive. It doesn’t even fit in with the street. From the windows you can see all the gardens from both sides, so there’s no privacy.’
Another resident said: ‘I’m not sure how on earth they thought they could get away with throwing up that eyesore.
Ms Birch has since blamed a property firm she instructed to submit the plans for leaving her ‘without a paddle’
‘Who builds a detached house in their back garden without getting permission first? It’s barmy.’
A third neighbour told how the new build overshadows his property and also claimed it causes flooding.
They said: ‘They’ve built on my land and damaged a bit of my property. I had a boundary surveyor come in and they said it shouldn’t be there.
‘It was supposed to be attached to the old garage, but to me this is now a separate dwelling with a letter box through the front door.
‘They’ve put the toilet piping and drain pipes into my land, there’s no drain for the rain gutters, so it’s dropping all on my side.’
Ms Birch has since blamed a property firm she instructed to submit the plans for leaving her ‘without a paddle’, saying she was under the impression they had submitted all the correct documents.
After forking out a total of £170,000 on the build, she claims she’s still in the dark over what has been submitted and what hasn’t.
Ms Birch said: ‘I’m liaising with my builder and planner who apparently has submitted all the correct paperwork.
‘The planning application was put in March but they appear to have submitted the wrong info.
‘I’ve done this building in good faith and thought since June I have the relevant permissions.
‘I’m left with a building my disabled daughter is no longer able to use. She wants her independence.
‘She’s got a phobia of being on the ground floor at night, so we put a second floor in.
‘That building was built to meet my daughter’s needs. I was assured by someone who works in the department and my planner that it was all good.’
She said the building replaced a ‘massive’ garage, wood shed and toilet and denied the new structure was ‘oversized’.
‘My planner royally messed up’, she added. ‘On one application he put it as an Airbnb, then he has done this.
‘I was born in this house, do you really think I’d want to ruin this?’
Worcester City Council refused the plans on November 5 saying the size and scale of the build lacked ‘visual cohesion’ with the surrounding area.
They added the build ‘fails to demonstrate a clear functional or physical dependency on the main dwelling’.
The planning application said: ‘The overall height, scale, and proximity of the annexe to adjoining boundaries result in a visually dominant and overbearing structure.
‘The development leads to an increased sense of enclosure and loss of outlook from neighbouring gardens and results in an unacceptable impact on the amenity of nearby residents.
‘The Local Planning Authority has acted positively and proactively in determining this application by identifying matters of concern with the proposal and determining the application within a timely manner, clearly setting out the reason for refusal, allowing the applicant the opportunity to consider the harm caused and whether or not it can be remedied by a revision to the proposal.’
Worcester City Council refused to comment any further when approached.
