Planners order demolition of 'dream house'
A £400,000 house built without planning permission in a picturesque village must be knocked down, planners said.
Owner Peter Howell has been ordered to demolish his dream retirement home in Ingleby Arncliffe on the edge of the North York Moors national park.
Planning chiefs at Hambleton District Council placed a demolition order on the house 12 months ago, but they agreed to wait for the results of an appeal lodged by Mr Howell against refusal of permission for a revised scheme.
That appeal has now been dismissed by planning inspector Jacqueline North.
In her report, Ms North said the house "appears dominant and visually intrusive by virtue of its height, bulk and colour", and that the property "is not in keeping with the general character of the village".
She added that despite the presence of a number of "large and incongruous" houses in the village, the "fact that such development has been allowed in the past is not a good reason to allow new development that would be harmful to the character and appearance of the village."
Planning chief, councillor Geoff Ellis, said the authority would now seek to enforce the demolition of the house. "It is now 12 months since my committee decided that this house must come down," he said.
"It was built without planning permission. The developer flouted all planning guidelines - he believed he could get round the rules. He was told time and time again to stop building but he kept on going.
"He will now pay the price of not keeping in line with the type of development we have agreed will be built in our villages, and which was envisaged for this site when outline permission was originally granted.
"The committee had courage in its convictions to refuse the application - now they have been justified. This is a victory for common sense and sends out a clear message to all developers - we will take action when properties are built without permission."
At the appeal examination in January the council said the scale and height of the building on a relatively small plot of land was unacceptable, and that the lack of parking may lead to highway problems.
Outline permission for a dwelling was granted in January 2004, but building began before a detailed permission was determined and several applications for retrospective approval have been refused.
Local residents told Ms North that the building was not the "modest" dwelling expected and was "out of place" in the village.
In contrast, Mr Howell had argued he had put forward acceptable alterations for the "family home" and that demolition would be "catastrophic" for his business.
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