Homeowner told to tear down extension that looks like ‘stadium executive box'
Neighbours called Rozia Hussain's dormer on the front of the property a 'monstrosity' and compared it to a 'football stadium executive box' after she renovated her mid-terraced home.
The house was bought for £100,000 in 2003, according to records, and pictures show the outside was in a shabby condition with peeling paint and chipped brick work.
Over the last four years, the three-bedroom house on Wyld's Lane has undergone a complete makeover and is now worth up to £320,000, according to Rightmove.
A wall and intercom system has been installed at the front of the house while a large dormer was built on top of the two-storey house.
Mrs Hussain now faces having to demolish the dormer after Worcester city council rejected her retrospective planning application.
The council stated: 'By virtue of its size, design and position, the addition of the large box dormer to the front of the property results in detrimental impact and creates significant harm to the character and appearance of the existing property and wider street scene in which it sits.
'The dormer at Wyld's Lane is much more visually intrusive than the approved, well-designed, more subtle addition.'
Mrs Hussain, who owns a newsagents in the city, said: 'I don't know anything about the planning application being rejected.
'I don't think it looks too big.'
Neighbours have criticised the extension, with one comparing it to 'an executive box you get at Premier League football grounds'.
They added: 'I mean the extension is very big. It looks like an executive box you get at Premier League football grounds.
'When my friend visited he asked what the monstrosity was on one of the houses so it's clearly noticeable to people.'
The neighbour has applied for a similar dormer on their own house a few years ago, but it was refused.
'The reason the council gave was because it would not be in keeping with the area or sympathetic to the age and heritage of the property,' they added.
'In my view I just think that it would be grossly unfair if this woman was allowed to have a large dormer on her property when I was not.'
Another said neighbours were 'concerned because it looks right onto their properties'.
They added: 'I think the house looks much better now. It was in a terrible state a few years ago but it now looks modern and clean.
'The dormer doesn't really bother me but I think some people are concerned because it looks right onto their properties.'
Mrs Hussain has three months to tear down the dormer or face enforcement action.
A city spokeman said: 'An enforcement notice was served on June 17 that comes into effect on July 17.
'This requires the applicant to remove the dormer and restore the roof or adapt the current dormer so that it complies with the planning permission given. They have three months to carry out the works.'
They added that the applicant has 'until July 17 to appeal against the notice'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
I'm a pest controller – giant rats the size of cats are becoming the norm
In more than 20 years of pest control, I thought I'd seen it all. But when I saw the images of a 22-inch rat found in a house in Redcar, even I was taken aback. In all my years, I've never seen anything quite like this. But it's not just a one-off – the rats are getting bigger, bolder and harder to deal with. What used to be a couple of callouts a month for rats inside homes has now surged to eight to 10 a week. The vast majority of these infestations trace back to our neglected drainage systems. The rodents aren't just passing through – they're coming up from the sewers and moving in. I've had cases where rats have climbed two storeys up the inside of a cast iron drainpipe, only to emerge in someone's toilet bowl. Rats are brilliant climbers. They're highly adaptable, intelligent, agile and opportunistic. And they're getting larger – partly due to genetics (we share 98 per cent of the same genetic make-up as rodents, believe it or not), some because they gorge on the high-fat takeaway waste we throw around so carelessly. I once dealt with a colony I estimated at over 300 rats. The largest rat I've ever personally caught was 20 inches long – but now we're seeing 22 inches, and who knows what's next? The UK has created a perfect storm for rats: poor waste management, exploding takeaway culture, weak sewer infrastructure and water companies failing to maintain ageing systems. Add to that a society that's seemingly forgotten the basics of hygiene and waste disposal, and the result is a rodent crisis on a scale I've never seen before. People might not realise it, but we're far worse at handling our waste than we used to be. I get called out more and more to HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) and council estates where bags of rubbish are simply tossed outside, or left to rot. You cannot expect to keep rats out when you're essentially laying out a buffet for them. I've seen some truly horrifying cases. In one north London property, a woman reported a dead rat in her lounge. When I arrived, there were holes in the floor, droppings everywhere and two live rats scurrying across the kitchen worktop. There were three bin bags full of waste in the kitchen, and rats bolted from them as I moved them. Under the stairs, there was more rat droppings and chewed wiring. The tenant suspected rodent damage had cut her electrics. I believe it. The property could have been condemned on the spot. And what's worse is how ill-equipped we are to fight the problem. We're restricted in how we can use rodenticides. Because of overuse and genetic evolution, many rats are now resistant. So pest controllers like me must follow strict orders – identifying food sources, shelters and access routes before we even think about poison. Rodenticides are a last resort, and even then only allowed for a limited time and in specific circumstances. The real issue is that we're not dealing with the root causes. Water companies need to take responsibility for defective drainage systems – rats can't infest homes in such numbers without a breach somewhere. Councils, too, are struggling. Many no longer run their own pest control departments. That means private operators are stretched thin, and the public is left footing the bill. And the public needs to wake up. Stop throwing waste from car windows and other places. Clean up after your barbecues. Recycle properly – a greasy pizza box isn't recyclable, and it attracts rats. I give talks in local communities to try to raise awareness. I do it all for free, because education is the only long-term answer. You'd be amazed at how many people think it's fine to cater for a rat. One household I went into regularly had a rat coming in, and they used to feed it – 'it's one of God's creatures', they say. It's a bit like Michael Jackson's Ben, and I totally get that. We can fix this – but not if we carry on as we are. When we build new homes, we need to think harder about how waste will be managed. When people see rats, they need to ask: why is it here? What food source is it finding? And more importantly, what can I do to stop it? I'll be 70 next year. I've seen a lot in this job. But never have I seen rats this big, in these numbers, in places so deeply entwined with our lives. Unless something changes – and soon – we're going to see much, much worse.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dame Stella Rimington, first female director general of MI5, dies aged 90
Dame Stella Rimington, the first female director general of the MI5, has died at the age of 90. The former secret service chief, died 'surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath', her family has announced.
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Dame Stella Rimington, the first female director general of MI5, has died
Dame Stella Rimington, who was the first female director general of MI5, has died, her family has announced. She died "surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath". Dame Stella died at the age of 90. Please refresh the page for the latest version.
