Pensioner, 74, forced to tear down bungalow because he only had planning permission for a stable

A pensioner who was diagnosed with cancer has been forced to tear down his home and is facing a £20,000 fine after he converted a stable block without seeking planning permission.

Simon Harbottle, 74, was given the green to light to build a stable but decided to turn it into a bungalow after being struck down with prostate cancer.

He applied for retrospective planning permission for a residential dwelling but this was refused and he was ordered to knock it down by Cotswold District Council.

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Heartbroken Mr Harbottle has now complied with the order and is living in rented accommodation nearby but his troubles could deepen as he is is facing a maximum £20,000 fine next month when he is sentenced in court for breaching planning rules in the historic Cotswolds.

He said: “It’s left me with a feeling of complete disappointment with the planning system.

“They just didn’t take any credence of the fact that I developed prostate cancer. There was no compassion whatsoever.

“It’s a shame because the planners seem to think we the public are there for their benefit when it should be the other way round.”

Retired civil engineer Mr Harbottle, a divorced father-of-five, owns the plot of land near Compton Abdale, Glos., which has been a brownfield site since the 1920s.

He was given permission to build a stable and two garages but instead developed it into a single-level property during his cancer treatment in 2009 and 2010.

The council served him with an enforcement notice to demolish the house but in November last year he pleaded guilty to failing to comply with it.

Mr Harbottle, who is currently living in rented accommodation in Cheltenham, has now complied with the order and razed his property to the ground.

However, the unrepentant council says Mr Harbottle only has himself to blame for his troubles.

A spokesman said: “It is not a question of Mr Harbottle having his bungalow demolished as instructed by the council. He should never have built it in the first place.

“Because he did so without planning permission, the council found that it was expedient to serve him with an enforcement notice.

“He failed to comply with that within the time limit and that is an offence.

“Clearly if the court is satisfied that there has been full compliance with the notice this will count as a mitigating factor which could be taken into account when passing sentence.”

Councillor Sue Jepson, the authority’s cabinet member for planning and housing, said Mr Harbottle had “paid the price for choosing to ignore the rules”.

She added: ”This sounds rather drastic, but we need to preserve the integrity of the planning system.”

Top pic: SWNS