I spent a year transforming my caravan into a two-storey home – now it's being torn down… my neighbours always hated it
David Coe, 67, bought the 14ft foot caravan in 2022 and spent a year renovating it himself, adding an upstairs bedroom and skylight.
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The structure in Norwich, Norfolk was a prominent feature outside Bately Court and cost David a whopping £10,000 to put together.
David added a new staircase and log burner to the motor home and hoped to live it in one day by the seaside.
However, David was forced to reconsider his project after he realised the customised structure had become too big to tow.
National Parking Enforcement, the company that manages the car park outside Bately Court, issued David with a notice earlier this year telling him the caravan would be destroyed if he did not move it due to concerns about it being a health and safety risk.
But David did not have enough money to have the structure professionally relocated and demolition crews finally arrived at the site today, July 17, to knock it down.
His former neighbours at Bately Court, where he lived until last year, have rejoiced at the removal of the caravan and watched on as demolition crews set about destroying David's creation.
Others stopped in the street to take photos and videos of the scene.
Heather Burton said: "I'm happy to see it go because I thought it was a really dangerous thing to have in the car park.
"It easily could have hurt somebody in high winds. I can't understand why this was allowed to stay in a prominent area for so long."
Other people living in the building said they thought the caravan posed issues with emergency access to their property and created an obstruction when the car park was full.
I bought a dated caravan & turned it into my family's very own second home for £4.5k - now we holiday for just £10 a day
Elaine Kelly said: "It was a bit of an eyesore in the end but I feel sorry for the bloke who built it. It's a shame it got so big that he couldn't move it.
"There has been a lot of interest in the caravan and no end of people coming to look at it. People used to stop in the street and ask us about it."
David was evicted from Bately Court after a row with the housing association over the cleanliness and management of the property.
He was accused by the company of " inappropriate behaviour" towards members of staff.
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David maintains he should not have been evicted, he was forced to abandon the caravan when he left.
He said he kept paying his £25 monthly fee for a parking spot and visited the vehicle regularly, to ensure it was kept secure and was not becoming a hazard.
He bought the caravan in 2022 and worked on renovating it as a distraction from his legal battle with the housing association and severe health issues.
David said he had "always been very creative" and previously renovated a hotel, said his caravan grew and grew, quickly becoming a welcome site in its parking spot.
He added that it soon became something of a tourist attraction, with "hundreds" of people stopping to ask about the bizarre creation.
The caravan even caught the attention of George Clarke's Amazing Spaces which expressed interest in featuring it on an episode of the Channel 4 programme.
David said: "I just needed to get out of the flat and make contact with other people.
"It was meant to be a place to sit and have a cup of tea and chat with passers-by.
"But it became something to focus on and I started working on it every single day. It became more than a hobby for me.
"It wasn't a conscious decision but the caravan grew and grew - it cost me a fortune but I didn't mind.
"I became known locally as the caravan man.
"I met hundreds of people who wanted to see what I was doing and take selfies with me. It was a lovely distraction from everything else."
David built a staircase and extended the caravan to turn it into a two-storey structure, with a bedroom upstairs.
He also installed a log burner, new windows and a skylight, and created a garden and seating area outside.
He kept adding to it until the caravan was more akin to a small house.
David, who is unemployed and on disability benefits, said he was left with £70k in costs to pay after losing his legal battle.
He could not afford to finish the caravan, which needed further work to its roof and extensions to be made "more solid".
A spokesman for National Parking Enforcement said the landowner had requested the caravan be moved as it was considered a health and safety issue.
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