Gurwinder Singh and his wife Rajwinder Kaur sparked fury when they built a “Travelodge” looking home which they knocked down following a council order.
4
4
4
4
The pair were ordered to tear down their “dream” new four-bed home which they had built without planning permission after knocking down their original semi.
Locals had fumed the building work had made their “lives hell” while others described the “eyesore” as “like a Travelodge in the middle of a housing estate and dubbed it “monster mansion.”
DPP delivery worker Mr Singh was ordered to tear down the half build home, started in 2020, following more than 95 complaints to the council.
He had until Sunday to clear up the demolition mess and repair their neighbour’s damaged house – neither of which they’ve done.
Next door neighbour Pat claims her home has been “wrecked” by the unauthorised building and demolition works and has left it “unsaleable”.
She told The Sun: “When the builders demolished the house they left rubble and building materials, including girders, roof tiles and rubbish. I have no idea why it hasn’t been cleared away.
“I’ve been left with a plastic sheeting down the side of my outer wall and the chimney needs to be made safe and the foundations checked. This is old mining land.
“Firstly they need to repair my wall and clear the site.”
The pensioner, 77, who declined to be fully named added: “I understand the local authority is building a case to prosecute the owner.
“An enforcement officer Richard Saunders visited the site on Monday, the day after the work should have been completed.
“The deadline’s passed. If Mr Singh couldn’t meet it he should communicate with the council. He’s breached the enforcement order and could be prosecuted.
“My main concern is I want my house repairing.”
Neighbour Dave Barker, 70, said he felt sorry for his pal Pat, who has born the brunt of the planning mayhem.
He said: “She’s been put through hell, someone of her age shouldn’t still be suffering because someone wants to go roughshod through the planning law.
“I feel some sympathy for Mr Singh because he took on people who weren’t advising him and doing the work properly.”
The retired driving examiner, whose son is a builder, added: “He was served with an enforcement notice and should have complied with it.
“Because he still owned the land and he thought he could do whatever he wanted. He didn’t want to comply with building regs like everyone else has to.”
Ward councillor Stacey Elson said: “The site should have been cleared up by the householder. He should have fully abided by the enforcement notice by Sunday just passed but has clearly failed to do so.
“An enforcement officer has visited the site to check on the progress and has taken photos and will write a report to submit to legal services for assessment and with a view for prosecution.
“The council will take legal advise on how best to resolves this.”
Ms Elson, also visiting the site, continued: “It is Mr Singh’s land and while he has complied with the demolition order of the property he has not cleared the site of building materials and rubble within the specified time limit.
“I cannot understand what has happened and why he hasn’t complied.
What are your rights?
Planning permission guidance according to gov.uk
You will need to request planning permission if you wish to build something new, make a major change to your building or change the use of your building – for example starting a business.
To find out if you need planning permission you should contact your Local Planning Authority through your council.
If planning permission is refused you can appeal.
You are able to appeal if you were refused planning permission for reasons that you think go against the LPA’s development plan or planning policy (you can usually find these on their website).
You can also appeal if you were granted planning permission with conditions you object to – you’ll need to explain why you think they’re unnecessary, unenforceable, vague, unreasonable or irrelevant.
Another ground for appeal is if the LPA has not given you a decision on your application and 8 weeks have passed since the date they told you they’d received it (or a different deadline you agreed with them has passed).
“If he has actively breached the enforcement notice he could be prosecuted.”
The councillor added: “I believe we could prosecute him. An enforcement notice was served. We will be putting the force back into enforcement.
Mr Singh told The Sun that he had complied with the enforcement order, saying: “The house was demolished in December last year so I don’t know why I am still be in trouble.
“There are some material and rubble on the site but I need to keep those to use again to build a new house there.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. It is my land and the house has gone.”
The dad-of-two, 43, said it would be “very unfair” if the council decided to prosecute him for keeping building material on his site.
He said: “I want to build a new home for my family but I have no money at this time so have not put in any planning application.”
He said his wife had been left “distraught, desperate and broken” after losing their life savings during a bitter planning dispute.
They couple, who have two young daughters, claim the demolition me has cost them a huge £37,000 with another £40,000 being paid to a next door neighbour for damaging her adjoining home.
But they are hoping to borrow some money from extended family living abroad to build a third house in the same spot.
The row first kicked off in 2020 after Mr Singh demolished a 1960s semi and built a larger £300,000 four-bed house on site.
Initially he never applied for planning permission and had only been given the go-ahead for a side extension to the existing property.
For many months he had refused to tear it down and had begged the council to “find a solution” but finally admitted defeat to “people power”, saying: “I’ve lost, they’ve won.”
Demolition countdown
- Gurwinder Singh and his wife Rajwinder Kaur are given planning permission by Walsall Council for a side extension of their 1960s home.
- The couple start building a four-bedroom home in 2020 – without planning permission.
- Fury is sparked among neighbours after construction stopped and an “eyesore” was left behind.
- The unfinished home is dubbed the ‘Monster Mansion’ and compared to a Travelodge.
- After 95 complaints Walsall Council orders Gurwinder Singh to tear down the property.
- They are slapped with an enforcement order to be completed within five weeks on April 7.
- The couple reveal the demolition has drained them of £37,000 in life savings.
- Another £40,000 was awarded to a neighbour for damaging their home.
- Gurwinder Singh and Rajwinder Kaur vow to re-build their home with planning permission when they have enough money.
The Punjabi-speaking home owner, who lives in a rented house in Walsall, believes he has been victimised and “taken advantage of” because of his nationality and poor lack of the English language.
He previously said: “Neighbours have been unfair about the house, they call is a monstrosity and I have no reason why.
“It’s all been very stressful, I have spent my life savings on this house for my family and we have never even lived there.
“We feel let down by the system. It is a planning nightmare.”
A Walsall Council spokesperson said: “The council is monitoring the situation to ensure all actions in the enforcement notice are complied with.”