Jeremy and Elaine Zielinski have been ordered to demolish their £1m home in Cambridgeshire after the Planning Inspectorate determined that the property represented a "flagrant breach" of planning rules.
The couple were originally granted planning permission back in 2014. However, the planning permission they sought was for a stallion semen centre comprising a laboratory and a small upstairs flat. The development was supposed to include a reception, office, staff changing rooms and a kitchenette in addition to the labs. Although the exterior of the property matches the original plans, the interior design, so it seems, never matched what was permitted.
South Cambridgeshire District Council used its enforcement powers to order the house demolished in July 2023. The couple appealed, and planning inspector Chris Peston dealt with the appeal.
Mr Peston discovered that no lab or equipment on site would be associated with the business that was supposed to be on site. That was found to be the case during the site visit and using past evidence. Meanwhile, in the intended upstairs flats, Mr Peston found that there were two bedrooms, as per the approved plans, but no kitchen was constructed on the upper floor as it should be. "In other words", he reported ", the living space is clearly spread over the two floors, as would be the case in a typical house."
In addition, there appeared to be no evidence that the business ever started on the site. Mr Peston discovered a single £44 transaction for laboratory fees connected to a horse named Dublin. But there was no evidence that the analysis was carried out on the permitted site, mainly because no testing facilities existed.
As a result, Mr and Mrs Zielinski lost their appeal since they were using the site as a three-bedroom house, not a lab, and had likely been doing so since it was constructed. This represented a "clear and flagrant breach of planning policy".
The home must be demolished, and all of the waste removed, by 6 May 2026.
