A couple in Rossendale, Lancashire have been told they have only a few weeks to knock down a brand new extension on their house after their retrospective planning permission was denied.
Paul and Rachelle Horridge who live on Helmshore Road, Haslingden, have been told the two-storey extension on their home is unlawful as it was built without permission.
The pair, who have been embroiled in a planning dispute since last year, claimed that at the time of its construction, their builder had promised he was taking care of planning permission for the extension.
Rossendale councillors heard this week that the building was too big, had different widths and floors, wooden cladding, as well as an ‘inappropriate’ flat roof. The extension, which includes a child’s bedroom, also encroached onto a neighbour’s land.
The council was told that groundwork linked to the new-build is in such a position that it could harm the roots of a protected tree in an adjoining park.
The house has also aroused controversy among neighbours, one of whom addressed the council saying he was “totally against it”. Calls for its removal have also been made by enforcement officers and planning inspectors.
The Rossendale Council's Development Control Committee was presented with evidence surrounding the planning and development of the extension dating back two years.
The council heard that a previous application for retrospective planning permission was declined in December 2021 when the Horridges had originally asked to keep the two-storey development with some proposed changes, such as replacing the cladding and changing the roof.
It was at this time a deadline was set for January 23 2023 for the extension to be demolished.
Rachelle spoke at the current hearing in defence of the retrospective application her husband Paul submitted to preserve their new extension.
She was visibly emotional and tearful as she said: "My husband is away for periods of time. We have a young family and one of our children was having problems with anxiety. The first-floor extension was for that child, so she didn't need to share a bedroom. which was contributing to her anxiety. "
The mum explained how the prospect of knocking down the building and the stress of the circumstances were having “a catastrophic impact” on the family, claiming: "We are terrified for our future".
Rachelle recalled how the couple had met with planning officers and an inspector to discuss potential options and addressed the potential harm to the protected tree that the house was causing, claiming she was ‘confident’ it remained unharmed.
The couple continued to stand by the claim that they entrusted their builder to organise necessary planning permissions when constructing the building.
A neighbour, Graham Lowthion, attended the meeting and spoke out against the house's design.
He said: "Everyone says it is out of character with other houses. Other houses in the area have single-storey kitchen extensions. Neighbours would have no problem if this was a single-storey extension. But this is a two-storey extension, which is now even higher with a pitched roof.
"If this was passed, it would cause heartache and pain. It would also lead to other people putting up inappropriate extensions. We all want people to have nice houses but we also have to follow the rules. If we don't, then we end up where we are today. Please refuse this application."
A number of other testimonies were heard by the council, including Labour Coun Samara Barnes who spoke against the new application and Head of Planning Mike Atherton, who recalled the inspector labelling the extension as “prominent” and "incongruous."
In a vote, the majority of councillors on the committee refused the retrospective application.
