Man who built house on his driveway after getting permission for a garage is forced to tear it down
Madam Pal Singh was given the go-ahead to build a single-storey garage at his semi detached home in 2019 - but a small two-storey house was constructed on the driveway instead
Madam Pal Singh built a small home on his driveway
(Image: Joseph Walshe / SWNS )
A man who built a house on his driveway after receiving planning permission for just a garage has been forced to demolish it, ending a peculiar six-year dispute which one neighbour described as a "long-running saga".
Madam Pal Singh was granted permission in 2019 to build a single-storey garage at his semi-detached property on Vaughton Street in Highgate, Birmingham. However, planning officials were left scratching their heads when they found a small two-storey house built on the driveway in October 2022 instead.
Despite claiming the differences from the approved plans were only 'minor' during an appeal, Mr Singh was instructed to tear down the unauthorised building.
The family insisted the structure would remain as they were utilising the 8.7m by 4.7m building as a gym. Yet, recent photographs reveal that Mr Singh has now transformed the edifice into the initially sanctioned 5.3m by 4.6m garage.
The house has now been knocked down and changed into a garage
(Image: Anita Maric / SWNS )
Local residents have expressed their relief that the "bizarre saga" has concluded after enduring years of construction work on their road. A neighbour, preferring to remain anonymous, commented: "We're glad it's finally all over now, it has been going on for years.", reports the Mirror.
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"I dread to think what it has cost the poor bloke. To build a house, knock it down and then build a garage instead, must have cost tens of thousands of pounds at least. But he's only got himself to blame, I don't know how he thought he was ever going to get away with it."
One local resident commented, "The building work has been a bit of a pain but I'm just happy we don't have to look at that eyesore anymore. It's been a very bizarre, long-running saga."
The small house was being used as a gym
(Image: Joseph Walshe / SWNS )
However, another neighbour was sympathetic. They said: "I feel a bit sorry for him to be honest. Yes it wasn't what was entirely agreed, but it looked smart. And some of the houses around here are much more run down." Love dreamy Welsh homes? Sign up to our newsletter here .
"You would have thought they could have come to a bit of compromise with him to save a lot of time and money."
Planning permission had initially been granted for a garage, but the constructed building exceeded the approved size by several metres.
Planning Inspector Thomas Shields said in his report: "The appellant's case is that the building already benefits from planning permission granted by the council in 2019."
"He argues that although there are differences between the approved plans for the garage and the appeal building they are minor differences. The approved plans for the garage show a single storey detached garage with a footprint of 5.3m x 4.6m and a height of 3.6m."
"It was also shown having a standard garage door to the front and no windows on any elevation. In comparison with the approved garage the appeal building has a footprint of approximately 8.7m x 4.7m and a height of 5.3m Consequently, it is substantially larger than the approved building. It is not a minor difference."
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