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Dalek shed museum faces extermination over planning rules

PA Museum co-owner Lisa Cole stands next to the Dalek and shedPA
Lisa Cole said the Dalek had been warmly welcomed by villagers

A family-run science fiction museum may be exterminated because a Dalek display does not comply with planning regulations.

The owners of the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi have been ordered to remove a shed from the front of their home which houses the replica Doctor Who villain.

It has been on display since the museum opened in Allendale in October.

Northumberland County Council said the shed did not fit in with the character of the couple's Grade II-listed home.

Art teacher Neil Cole, who owns the museum with his wife Lisa, teamed up with members of an after-school club to build the Dalek.

PA A replica Tardis attached to the top of a vehicle outside the couple's homePA
The couple call this merging of a Volvo and Tardis the "Volvardis"

The museum's website describes its attractions as "a unique collection of original, screen-used props, costumes and artwork, spanning several decades".

However, the Coles said the Dalek cannot be stored in their cellar alongside the other exhibits which include further Doctor Who items and props and costumes from the Marvel movie universe.

Mrs Cole said: "I didn't realise we needed planning permission for a shed. It's not attached to the building and when the museum is shut, the shed is shut."

She said the Dalek would not fit inside the museum and if they had to get rid of it then the fate of the museum was "unknown".

"I don't even want to think about [having to close], I would be gutted," she added.

PA Lisa Cole alongside a Cyberman costume in the couple's cellarPA
The museum boasts a Cyberman costume among its other Doctor Who props

Mrs Cole said the museum had "brought more than 900 people into the village", with the Dalek making people "smile as they drive up the road".

"You have to sell your house to be able to afford a real Dalek, but he's built this one so lovingly," she added.

Northumberland County Council said: "We wish to work with the property owner to resolve this, and we have written to him to advise that this would require planning permission and, due to the listed status of the property, an application is unlikely to be supported."