Southend homeowner forced to tear down half-built extension

Last year Southend Council ordered the homeowner, living on Philpott Avenue, to remove the brick side extension after building it without planning permission.

Multiple planning applications had been submitted to build the extension, however they were repeatedly refused by Southend Council over the size and appearance of the extension.

Despite this, the homeowner began constructing the extension and it has remained half-built since the council authorised enforcement action last year.

Now, the homeowner will have little choice but to remove it after the Government planning inspectorate rejected an appeal.

Southend councillor Matt Dent said: “The important lesson here is the importance of getting the proper permissions before starting a project like this.

“I am pleased that the planning inspector has agreed with the council’s planning officers.

“I hope that this will mean a swift conclusion to the whole situation.”

The planning inspectorate has sided with the council and a decision rejecting the appeal has been published this week.

The extension measures approximately 2.7m high, 3.7m wide and has a 15m long boundary wall.

Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, added: “Enforcement action is often a last resort for our planning department and they have raised significant concerns about the extension being out of character.

“Our planning officers are highly trained and work hard with residents and businesses on their planning applications to get the best mutual outcome.

“It is important planning permission is granted before work is carried out and we encourage all to consider using our pre-application service to help pre-empt any issues or concerns.

“This has now been ruled on by the planning inspector and their decision is final.”

Initially rejected plans, Southend Council ruled the extension would be “unacceptably dominant” and would be impact the “visual asininity of the street scene”.