Grandparents ordered to tear down luxury £1m home in planning row
"Planning rules are there for a reason – including protecting our countryside and this decision demonstrates that we will act when those rules are broken."
A couple have been left devastated after being ordered to tear down their luxury one-million-pound home following a "flagrant breach" of planning laws.
Jeremy Zielinski and his wife Elaine say they'll be left homeless and that they didn't know they were bending the rules, reports the Mirror.
The pair were given permission for a two-storey commercial building for their horses and a lab, with a tiny flat upstairs for workers. But officials were stunned to find the sleek building in Great Abington, Cambridgeshire was actually a plush three-bed home with stunning countryside views.
Now, after a lengthy row council officials have slapped them with an order to demolish the lot.
But Mrs Zielinski, 79, pleaded with this week: "We want to carry on living here. It's a warm and comfortable home. I love it. It doesn't make sense to tear it down. I don't want to go and live in a caravan. If we are chucked out, we will be having to rely on the state."
The couple, who have six grandchildren, attempted to overturn the ruling in 2023, arguing that it was over the top and they could just switch back to what was allowed.
However, their hopes were crushed when a planning inspector checked out the evidence and ruled they'd built the house from the start, describing it as "a clear and flagrant breach of planning policy".
Mrs Zielinski, a GP's receptionist, insisted to Mail Online: "We would not have gone on and built this and put all our money into it unless we thought it was totally legal to do it."
Her partner, 73, who used to market for The Injured Jockeys Fund and now delivers meds, added: "I have not had a decent night's sleep in years and, from the moment when we got the first visit in 2020 [from council officials], life has been shaky."
The pair from Great Abington near Cambridge, left locals split after their planning appeal flopped. One neighbour remarked: "I genuinely feel sorry for him."
South Cambridgeshire District Council, run by the Lib Dems, has doubled down on the importance of sticking to planning rules and protecting the countryside.
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Councillor Dr Tumi Hawkins, the authority's lead cabinet member for planning, said he welcomed "the inspector's clear decision".
He said: "This case shows the importance of adhering to the specific uses and conditions that justify development in rural areas. Planning rules are there for a reason – including protecting our countryside and this decision demonstrates that we will act when those rules are broken."
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