Latest news with #planningpolicy
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Couple who illegally built dream £1million home instead of horse breeding clinic are ordered to tear it down after planning inspector criticises 'flagrant breach' of rules
A couple who have been ordered to demolish a million-pound property they secretly built and moved into have complained they will have nowhere to go to. Jeremy Zielinski and his wife Elaine were given permission for a two-storey commercial building for a stallion semen collection centre and laboratory, with a small first floor flat for staff. But while the outside of the property in 17-acres of land they bought in Great Abington, Cambridgeshire, adhered to their planning application, they turned the interior into a well-appointed three-bedroom home with stunning feature windows overlooking the countryside. Council officials got wind of the subterfuge and issued an enforcement notice in 2023 to tear the structure down. The couple appealed against the order on the grounds that it was excessive and the property could simply revert to the permitted use. But a planning inspector has thrown it out after seeing evidence they had 'constructed a dwelling from the off' and criticised them for their 'clear and flagrant breach of planning policy'. Despite the excoriating judgement, Mrs Zielinski, 79, insisted to the Mail she and her husband had been unaware they were breaking the law. The GP's receptionist said: '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. '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 husband, 73, a former marketing manager for The Injured Jockeys Fund who now does home deliveries for a pharmacy, 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… 'We have lost £1 million overnight as a result of this decision. If we could have a semen clinic on the site it would be worth at least £1 million.' Most neighbours supported the decision, however, with one saying: 'People should obey the rules. I don't have any sympathy because they shouldn't have changed the use.' Another commented: 'He's overstepped the mark. He's gone too far.' But David Hamper, 61, said: 'I genuinely feel sorry for him. He's flouted the rules to a certain extent and would admit to that but to have your neighbours saying 'pull it down' is a hard thing for him to see.' The horse-mad couple bought a house with an outbuilding and 17 acres of land for £100,000 in 1986. In 2014, they were given planning permission by South Cambridgeshire District Council for a countryside business with a reception area, office, kitchenette, laboratory space, staff changing room and toilet on the ground floor and two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms on the first floor. But planning inspector Chris Preston noted the property had a 'decidedly residential appearance', including a kitchen with island breakfast bar, domestic furnishings and appliances, a dining area, living room and home office. Upstairs were two bedrooms with a 'lounge equipped with sofa and television'. Contractors began work on the property in 2017 and Mr and Mrs Zielinski - who had three children, although one tragically died in 2021 after taking the Covid vaccine - sold their own house two years later, moving into a static home. The couple believe a jealous neighbour informed on them, leading to planning officers visiting their home and the July 2023 enforcement notice which ordered it to be razed to the ground. In the submission to the Planning Inspectorate, they claimed lockdown wrecked their business plans for the clinic and they were forced to turn the property into their home, while continuing to run their commercial interests in their grounds. The order to pull down the entire building was over the top and would leave them without a roof over their heads, they added. Mr Preston turned down their appeal, concluding it had been built as a house from the start, rather than converted from the approved lab and flat, and the couple had sold their own home and another plot of land with permission for a dwelling. He also noted there was 'very little evidence that the stallion semen collection and analysis business every got off the ground to any notable degree'. The only payment for laboratory fees was £44 for a horse named Dublin but there was 'no indication as to whether the analysis was carried out at the appeal site'. Mr Preston also considered the owners' claim to need somewhere to live but concluded: 'Given the clear and flagrant breach of planning policy and the associated harm arising, I find that interference with the human rights of the appellant and his wife would be proportionate in this case.' The Zielinskis, who have six grandchildren, are now taking legal advice to see if they can overturn the decision. Otherwise, the house must be demolished within 12 months. Mr Zielinski added: 'If we have broken the rules, we didn't know the full ramifications. 'We did not get any advice from the planners along the way. The first we knew something was wrong was in 2020. There was not much communication. Don't throw us out on the street.' His wife said: 'At least the building should be allowed to stand and revert back to what they expected it to be. 'There have been new housing estates going up all over the place in and around Abington. That's the daft thing – the fields around here where we used to ride have all been built up.' Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins, the district council's lead cabinet member for planning, said he welcomed 'the inspector's clear decision'. He added: '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.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Demolition order for 'horse lab' built as a home
A property owner has been told to demolish a stable converted into a home instead of a facility to analyse horse semen and house workers. Planners described the two-storey, two-bedroom house near Great Abington, Cambridgeshire, as a "flagrant breach of planning policy". Permission was granted in 2014 to build a replacement stable block and a horse laboratory, with a small upstairs flat linked to the lab use. Council planners said while the outside of the building looked like the approved plans, the inside was solely a residential home. A planning inspector has ordered the house to be knocked down by 6 May 2026. South Cambridgeshire District Council issued an enforcement notice in July 2023 requiring demolition of the property, which the owner appealed against. However, the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal, saying the house was "decidedly residential". An inspector who visited the site in January said: "No laboratory has been installed, no research or stored equipment associated with the business is apparent, either on the photographs from 2022 or at the time of my visit." The ground floor had a kitchen, island breakfast bar and home furnishings instead of a horse semen collection and analysis business. Upstairs, where there was meant to be a self-contained living space with a kitchen, there was no such kitchen. Tumi Hawkins, South Cambridgeshire District Council's lead cabinet member for planning, welcomed the decision. "This case shows the importance of adhering to the specific uses and conditions that justify development in rural areas," she said. The inspector said it would be necessary to knock the house down, and that keeping the building but stopping people from living there alone would not be enough. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Plans to replace office block named after rebel New homes on meadow approved despite objections City centre plans refined after public feedback Greater Cambridge Shared Planning
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Demolition order for 'horse lab' built as Cambridgeshire home
A property owner has been told to demolish a stable converted into a home instead of a facility to analyse horse semen and house described the two-storey, two-bedroom house near Great Abington, Cambridgeshire, as a "flagrant breach of planning policy".Permission was granted in 2014 to build a replacement stable block and a horse laboratory, with a small upstairs flat linked to the lab use. Council planners said while the outside of the building looked like the approved plans, the inside was solely a residential home.A planning inspector has ordered the house to be knocked down by 6 May 2026. 'Decidedly residential' South Cambridgeshire District Council issued an enforcement notice in July 2023 requiring demolition of the property, which the owner appealed the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal, saying the house was "decidedly residential".An inspector who visited the site in January said: "No laboratory has been installed, no research or stored equipment associated with the business is apparent, either on the photographs from 2022 or at the time of my visit."The ground floor had a kitchen, island breakfast bar and home furnishings instead of a horse semen collection and analysis where there was meant to be a self-contained living space with a kitchen, there was no such Hawkins, South Cambridgeshire District Council's lead cabinet member for planning, welcomed the decision."This case shows the importance of adhering to the specific uses and conditions that justify development in rural areas," she inspector said it would be necessary to knock the house down, and that keeping the building but stopping people from living there alone would not be enough. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New rules may stop McDonald's near Bishop's Stortford school, MP
New government rules could help block plans for a McDonald's restaurant near a school, the area's MP has June 2024, developer Countryside applied for a fast food outlet on the St James' Park development, Hertfordshire, close to Bishop's Stortford High the application went in, the new Labour government has announced changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) allowing local authorities to refuse applications for fast food outlets within walking distance of MP for Hertford and Stortford Josh Dean told BBC Politics East: "This government has amended the NPPF so there'll be a presumption against this type of development." He added: "I have been very clear that I am opposed to this development and I know a number of residents and councillors share my concerns." McDonald's said it was working with "local stakeholders" over the plans and was proud of its role in said it had contributed £94.5bn to the UK economy since it opened its first restaurant in the country in 1974. Dale Reeve, the head teacher of Bishop's Stortford High School, said: "My biggest concern is obviously the students' health."Putting in a McDonald's restaurant a two-minute walk away from our school just places temptation in front of students."There will be students who will be able to sit in our classroom and look out and see a McDonald's..."This easily accessible and largely unhealthy food would be a serious problem for students." Psychologist Dr Suzanna Forwood, an associate professor at Anglia Ruskin University, said: "We ban the advertising of the products already."So why would we allow the same products to be placed outside schools where children have to go on a daily basis?"A McDonald's spokesman said: "We pride ourselves on being a good neighbour in the communities in which we operate, and look forward to continuing to work with the council and all local stakeholders to ensure our plans are right for the community of St James' Park."When it comes to our food, we believe in making it easier for customers to balance health, taste, and value and in giving people choice. We will always be transparent about our ingredients and have provided nutritional information for over 30 years. "We continue to evolve our menu to ensure our customers can make informed decisions, with 58% of our menu now classified as non-HFSS (not high in fat, salt or sugar) and 89% of our items in our core menu containing under 500 calories." BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 11 May at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
