A family in Stoke-on-Trent has been told that they would need to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to adjust the height of the roof of the house they live in or they would face demolition after it was found that it is 30 inches too tall.
Stoke-on-Trent city council received over 30 objections to the retrospective planning application made by the family. The council planners rejected the application and recommended an enforcement action, which would mean that the £500,000 home would have to be demolished.
The family's representative said the demolition would be an "excessive" and "draconian" measure to deal with the issue, and the owner's brother said that the height reduction "isn't going to make any visual difference". Although councillor Janine Bridges said, that this case would "set a precedent" for the builders who cross the planning boundaries and ask permission retrospectively.
Reactions of the neighbours to the "enormous" house have been mixed, but most agree that it was a "fair and just judgement" to refuse planning permission and the owner of the property should have considered the issue before completing the works.
Cedrec's take
Rogue builders often go unpunished for the "extra" work undergone on a property and requesting planning permission retrospectively could cause major issues for the planners as well as the owners, especially if the application has been rejected once the works are completed.
Although, demolishing a property because of it being slightly taller than planned, especially with the current housing crisis, could be considered an excessive punishment measure.
