West Midlands man told to demolish £180k bungalow he built in his garden without planning permission
A video shows the 83-square-metre bungalow Mark built in his back garden in the West Midlands, with a planning inspector saying the building was “alien” to the area.
An IT engineer has been ordered to tear down a £180,000 bungalow he built in his back garden without planning permission.
Mark Jones, 55, replaced an old garage with a two-bedroom ‘granny flat’ and hooked up the electricity, water and internet to his house in March 2019.
The 83-square-metre brick annex, featuring a kitchen diner, two bedrooms, a bathroom and storeroom, was completed six months later.
He did not apply for planning permission, believing it was legal due to its size and the utilities being connected to the main house.
He had hoped his ill father Tony, 71, would move into the property in Walmley Ash Road, Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.
Tony died of bowel cancer months later, so it was used by Mark’s grown-up daughter and her boyfriend during the Covid lockdowns.
But after three neighbours complained, claiming it was “over-intensive”, Birmingham City Council ordered him to tear it down in 2021.
Other objections included concerns over parking, privacy for neighbours and light coming from the new bungalow.
IT worker Mark says he believed the building complied with planning laws and lodged a retrospective planning application.
The plan was rejected and despite making a second application, he was told the property broke planning regulations.
He has now been ordered to demolish the bungalow by the end of the month or face possible further legal action.
Mark, who moved into the bungalow after he and his wife divorced, said he will be homeless if he is forced to demolish the building.
The dad-of-two said: "The bungalow was within the permitted development rights and could have habitable rooms.
“It was meant for my father and reliant on the main house.
“There are several properties nearby with two story buildings in their gardens so I thought it was fine.
“It started at £60,000 but it didn’t have a kitchen so I added one on the plans.”
Mark completed the inside and appealed to The Planning Inspectorate after being warned he needed planning permission.
But in February 2021, the inspector refused and said the bungalow was “alien” to the area.
The white-washed bungalow has its own gravel drive and patio seating area.
The bungalow’s water and electrics are connected to the main house, which is a three-bedroom semi, worth around £355,000.
Mark said: “There is no public interest in taking the bungalow down, so I don’t know why they’re making me.
“You look at other houses on the street and I can't see why we wouldn’t get permission for it.
“For an area with a housing shortage, it’s ridiculous.
“It was never meant to be a separate building, it was supposed to be part of the main house.
“It doesn't have its own water, internet, council tax or waste.
"It is still part of the main house. I should’ve waited for planning permission but people can see why I haven’t.
“I was in a hurry to get my dad moved in.
“When you look at Google Maps and see all the buildings in the gardens, you can see why I thought it was safe.
“Loads of people have done this. If I tear it down I’ve got nowhere else to go so I’ll probably be on the streets.
“To me the council is bullying me. They want me to knock a property down that’s perfectly reasonable.
"From the street or a neighbour’s garden, you wouldn’t see anything. You can’t see into windows. There was a garage there before.”
Mark has applied for a new permitted development certificate application with the council.
Even if it is granted, he will still have to tear down the original bungalow and build it again to comply with the council’s rules.
Birmingham City Council statement
A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: “Mr Jones is currently in breach of the enforcement notice that was served to him in 2021, and we have given him ample time to comply with the notice by the end of June 2025.
“A decision will be made imminently on the lawful development certificate that Mr Jones has submitted, and a case officer will then be in contact with him to advise further.”
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