'I built a two-storey detached house in my West Midlands back garden... now I may have to demolish it'

Clair Birch, 58, had originally sought approval for a one-bedroom annexe to replace an existing garage at their semi-detached property on Newtown Road, Worcester.

But neighbours said they were left stunned when a stand-alone "eyesore" property resembling an "extended bungalow" was thrown up in the back garden instead.

Worcester City Council has since refused retrospective planning permission saying the "overbearing" building works resemble a self-contained house rather than an annexe.

Clair now faces having to tear down the property - which she says she built for her disabled daughter - if a resolution isn't found and slammed "snotty neighbours" for "making life hell".

But locals who complained claim the imposing build extends onto their land, breaches privacy and doesn’t fit in with the character of any of the surrounding homes.

And they said at one point the planned extension was even listed as being a proposed AirBnB property on the online application.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "I'm not sure how on earth they thought they could get away with throwing up that eyesore.

"Who builds a detached house in their back garden without getting permission first? It's barmy. It looks like a bungalow which has been extended. 

"It's got two floors - its a second house. They threw it up in June but only found out later they hadn't got permission." 

Another neighbour, who also wished to remain anonymous ,added: "We simply call it 'the big house' - they knocked it up in no time.

“They had an extension built on the back of the semi, plus a lean-to and a small garage. I thought they were rebuilding the garage but it just kept on going.

“It’s a two-storey building. It’s probably about four times the size of what a standard garage is.

"They’ve fenced it all off into a separate property, it effectively stands alone. It’s like a bungalow now.

“They’ve cut the garden in half, they could effectively sell it as a separate property, too.

"I put a complaint in after seeing how big it was and then further complaints went in.

"They’ve actually built the place onto next-doors property. I know they built it onto the shared party wall without speaking to their neighbours.

"They’ve run separate lines down for water and power, which indicates it’ll have its own sources.

“It was listed as an Airbnb on the planning application at one point.

"I believe they wanted to get it up as quickly as possible to stop it being rejected.

“It is massive. It doesn’t even fit in with the street. From the windows you can see all the gardens from both sides, so there’s no privacy."

Another neighbour told how the new build overshadows his property and also claimed it causes flooding.

They said: “They’ve built on my land and damaged a bit of my property.  I had a boundary surveyor come in and they said it shouldn’t be there. 

“It was supposed to be attached to the old garage, but to me this is now a separate dwelling with a letter box through the front door.

“They’ve put the toilet piping and drain pipes into my land, there’s no drain for the rain gutters, so it’s dropping all on my side.

“You build it to the correct boundary line and if you damage my property you should fix it.

“It doesn’t really suit the area and the roof top looks a bit funny."

Clair has since blamed a property firm she instructed to submit the plans and says she was under the impression they had submitted all the correct documents.

After forking out a total of £170,000 on the build, she claims she’s still in the dark over what has been submitted and what hasn’t.

Clair said: “I’m liaising with my builder and planner who apparently has submitted all the correct paperwork. 

"The planning application was put in March but they appear to have submitted the wrong info and left me without a paddle.

“I’ve done this building in good faith and thought since June I have the relevant permissions. The first builder took me for £70,000 and left the property unstable.

“I’m left with a building my disabled daughter is no longer able to use. She wants her independence. 

“She’s got a phobia of being on the ground floor at night, so we put a second floor in.

"That building was built to meet my daughter's needs. I was assured by someone who works in the department and my planner that it was all good.

“My snotty neighbours were fully aware of this and they were told from the start.

"There was already a massive garage, a wood shed and a toilet. It was huge so we’ve not gone oversized with the building. It doesn’t look much different to the garage. 

“My planner royally messed up. On one application he put it as an Airbnb, then he has done this.

“I was born in this house, do you really think I’d want to ruin this?

“I’ve lost £70k with the dodgy building, it’s just about my daughter having somewhere to live.

“They (neighbours) are making my life hell. It hasn’t got its own utilities. How is that a separate dwelling? It’s linked to the house.”

Worcester City Council refused the plans on November 5 saying the size and scale of the build lacked ‘visual cohesion’ with the surrounding area.

They added the build “fails to demonstrate a clear functional or physical dependency on the main dwelling”.

The planning application said: “The overall height, scale, and proximity of the annexe to adjoining boundaries result in a visually dominant and overbearing structure.

"The development leads to an increased sense of enclosure and loss of outlook from neighbouring gardens and results in an unacceptable impact on the amenity of nearby residents.

“The Local Planning Authority has acted positively and proactively in determining this application by identifying matters of concern with the proposal and determining the application within a timely manner, clearly setting out the reason for refusal, allowing the applicant the opportunity to consider the harm caused and whether or not it can be remedied by a revision to the proposal.”

Worcester City Council refused to comment any further when approached.