UK households have to 'tear up' driveways due to a little-known regulation
UK households are being forced to "tear up" driveways and restore them to gardens due to a little-known British regulation.
One Welsh man is now facing the prospect of converting his £5,000 driveway back into a garden following council orders that are costing him thousands.
Stephen Price, 65, transformed his garden into a driveway to assist his unwell wife.
He and spouse Kim have struggled with the shortage of parking in their neighbourhood, where they have resided for 44 years.
The local authority in Hengoed, Caerphilly, has now instructed him to restore it to its original state despite there being limited street parking available in the vicinity, reports Birmingham Live.
Kim, 67, battles various health conditions including heart failure, two forms of achalasia, diverticulitis, pernicious anaemia, osteoarthritis, and low blood pressure.
Stephen explained: "I dug it all out and then the council got in touch and said I might need to put it all back. At the moment I'm £5,000 into this build.
"To put it all back – we haven't got the money to do it anyway."
Kim added: "If my husband has to park up on the hill it makes it very difficult for me.
"I hardly leave the house unless I have to. I have lived here [in Hengoed] all my life and I don't want to move."
He disclosed: "They never told me then I needed planning permission. They just told me I needed to pay this £300 - which is about £600 in today's money - that's all they said.
"I had the kerb installed and now I want to know if I was miss-sold this. They were happy enough to take my money."
A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council told The Sun: "This is a planning matter and, as such, was dealt with under planning legislation."
Chairman Cllr Roy Saralis said he had a "tremendous amount of sympathy".
"Obviously it's a sad situation, but planning is planning," he added.
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