A homeowner ordered to tear down an £180,000 garden bungalow he built without planning permission has said that the ruling will put him on the streets.
Mark Jones, 55, replaced an old garage in his back garden with a two-bedroom ‘granny flat’, hooking up the electricity, water and internet to his house in March 2019.
Taking six months to complete, the 83-square-metre brick annex features a kitchen diner, two bedrooms, alongside a bathroom and storeroom.
However, Mr Jones did not apply for planning permission, arguing that he ‘thought it was fine’ due to the building’s size and the utilities being connected to the main house.
Despite submitting a retrospective planning application, Birmingham City Council said that the ‘alien’ building must be teared down in 2021.
Following an unsuccessful second application, he has now been ordered to demolish the bungalow by the end of the month or face possible legal action.
Sharing his heartbreak at the council’s decision, the father-of-two fears that he will ‘probably be on the streets’ if the demolition takes place.
He said: ‘The bungalow was within the permitted development rights and could have habitable rooms.
‘It was meant for my father and reliant on the main house. There are several properties nearby with two story buildings in their gardens so I thought it was fine.
‘It started at £60,000 but it didn’t have a kitchen so I added one on the plans.’
Birmingham City Council’s objection to the bungalow came after several neighbours submitted complaints about its ‘over-intensive’ size.
Other complaints included concerns over parking, privacy for neighbours and light coming from the new bungalow.
The white-washed bungalow features its own gravel drive and patio seating area. Its water and electrics are connected to the main house, a three-bedroom property worth around £355,000.
Mr Jones, an IT engineer, had initially hoped that his unwell father, Tony, 71, would live in the property in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
However, Tony tragically died of bowel cancer just a few months later. Mr Jones then moved into the bungalow after him and his wife divorced.
Mr Jones, who insists there is ‘no public interest’ in the bungalow being removed, argued that the council are ‘bullying him’ by removing a ‘perfectly reasonable’ property.
Slamming the ‘ridiculous’ decision, he said: ‘You look at other houses on the street and I can’t see why we wouldn’t get permission for it. For an area with a housing shortage, it’s ridiculous.
‘Loads of people have done this. If I tear it down I’ve got nowhere else to go so I’ll probably be on the streets.’
Adding that the bungalow as ‘never meant to be a separate building’, he said: ‘It doesn’t have its own water, internet, council tax or waste. It is still part of the main house. I should’ve waited for planning permission but people can see why I haven’t.
‘I was in a hurry to get my dad moved in. When you look at Google maps and see all the buildings in the gardens, you can see why I thought it was safe.’
‘From the street or a neighbour’s garden, you wouldn’t see anything. You can’t see into windows. There was a garage there before.’
Mr Jones has now applied for a new permitted development certificate application with the council.
However, even if it is granted, he will still have to tear down the original bungalow and build it again to comply with the council’s rules.
A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: ‘Mr Jones is currently in breach of the enforcement notice that was served to him in 2021, and we have given him ample time to comply with the notice by the end of June 2025.
‘A decision will be made imminently on the lawful development certificate that Mr Jones has submitted, and a case officer will then be in contact with him to advise further.’
