Demolition threat to garden house

A HOME OWNER in a leafy Leeds suburb is under fire after using his back garden to build a large property without proper planning permission.

Wajid Hussain may be forced to bulldoze the property in his garden

because its bears little resemblance to his original planning application.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He got permission for a double garage and a "granny flat" on two storeys but the end result is on four levels, with rooflights and a basement not mentioned in the original design.

The building in Old Park Road, Roundhay is at the centre of a planning row being aired at a public inquiry in Leeds which is due to end today.

In statements before the Planning Inspectorate, Mr Hussain said the building was commissioned by his younger brother who was "unaware of the need for compliance within the planning system". Mr Hussain said the extended family comprised 17 members and extra rooms were needed near to the existing six-bed home.

Leeds Council planning official Jillian Rann told the hearing that the amount of accommodation provided results in a building of a size and scale which is "excessively large and would not appear subordinate to the host building in terms of appearance".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said the building is "far in excess" of what could be considered as an "annexe" to the existing house.

Mr Hussain is seeking retrospective planning permission for the building, which the council has previously turned down.

His advisers have told the inquiry that "cosmetic" changes can be made to make it fit into the character of Roundhay Conservation Area.

Planning experts speaking on his behalf said that it was a Muslim's duty to provide for all members of the family and cited the Race Relations Act as a reminder that councils must not discriminate.

Fourteen letters of objection were sent to the council in 2008.

A decision from planning inspector Derek Thew is expected at a later date.