A businessman has been ordered to demolish a large 'football director's box' extension on his family home after furious neighbours protested. Mani Singh's neighbours were so upset about the 3-metre-high grey 'ugly eyesore' that they hired a minibus to protest against the extension at a Walsall council meeting last week.
The father of two, who lives in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, built the huge extension on his three-bedroom, £415,000 home without planning permission. His neighbours complained that the massive structure on his semi-detached home, which includes a dormer, loft conversion, and skylights, was ruining the character of the neighbourhood.
Neighbours Express Concerns
Liz Deakin, 63, who has lived on the street for 35 years, said: 'The building is actually very large and is affecting people nearby. It blocks light into nearby houses and looks directly down into gardens and into properties, so it's very intrusive. It reminds me of a director's box you see at big football stadiums. Not at all appropriate for a quiet suburban area like this.'
Cath Tandy, 75, who lives at the back of the house, said the extension has made it 'a bit like being in a prison exercise yard.' The grandmother added: 'I used to have lots of sunlight coming into my garden in the evenings, but the extension has blocked all that, so it's dark most of the time.'
Planning Permission Issues
Mr Singh applied for retrospective planning permission after the council was alerted to the building project by the neighbours. However, telling the council was not enough. The determined neighbours hired a minibus to drive to a council meeting to complain about the dormer in person. Liz said: 'We all went down and I spoke to the council about the problems we have with this large extension.'
A planning officer initially recommended the extension be approved, but Walsall council turned it down. The council stated that the dormer broke planning laws. Initially, Mr Singh applied for planning permission for this extension but was turned down. He then applied for permission for a much smaller structure, which was approved, but he built the larger option anyway.
Mr Singh now has six months to demolish the dormer or appeal the decision.
