Boosbeck builder vows to ignore council balcony demand

A builder says he will ignore a council's demand to demolish a balcony on a home built without permission.

Malcolm Hughlock, 68, said he and his house in Boosbeck near Redcar were "different from the norm".

Redcar and Cleveland Council granted retrospective planning permission for the home but ordered changes within three months, including removing the balcony opposed by neighbours.

Enforcement action could be taken, a spokesman said.

Mr Hughlock said he built the "prototype" two-storey modular home in Serenity Hollow on a foundation of rubber tyres filled with concrete.

Neighbours said the building is an "eyesore", not in keeping with other homes and impinges on their privacy.

Mr Hughlock told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he intended to ignore the council and let matters go to an appeal should he be given an enforcement notice.

Mr Hughlock said: "If you take the balcony off it just becomes a square house.

"This is not about the cost, it is about having things that look really nice."

Stuart Smith, chairman of the council's regulatory committee, said it was "quite an unusual development" and an inspection will be carried out to check the safety of the foundations.

A council spokesman said Mr Hughlock had been advised to cease works, but carried on building the property.

He said: "The [planning] committee expressed the view that the applicant had displayed a wilful disregard for the regulations, but they recognised that in granting retrospective permission planning conditions could be used to secure an amended scheme.

"The applicant has three months to comply and if he does not then we have the option to serve a breach of condition notice, or a more general planning enforcement notice.

"His actions have used up valuable staff resources, unnecessarily complicated and prolonged the planning process and caused some distress to adjoining occupiers."

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