Roof ripped off UK's 'biggest man cave' after decade-long planning battle sees it finally demolished

The UK's 'biggest man cave' is finally being torn down after a decade-long planning dispute, with its roof now stripped away. Over the last 10 years, millionaire Graham Wildin, 70, has been refusing to obey court orders to demolish his vast 10,000 square foot leisure complex - and has even served time in jail for it.

The controversy began in 2014 when Wildin constructed the extravagant 'man cave' complete with a bowling alley, casino, and cinema behind his house without the necessary planning permissions. Demolition work by the Forest of Dean District Council commenced in June, and recent developments have now seen the roof removed.

Drone imagery captures the bare structure that lies behind Wildin's property in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, a stark contrast to the once luxurious squash courts, soft play area, and bowling lanes visible in an earlier video of the complex. An observer said: "It really looks nothing like the plush leisure centre which we once saw there."

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Wildin faced his initial legal setback in September 2018 when the High Court issued an injunction, initially mandating the building's removal by the end of April 2020. Ignoring the injunction led to a suspended sentence in June 2021, followed by a failed appeal at the Court of Appeal in November, resulting in a demolition order by March 10, 2022.

Persistent in his resistance, Wildin had his six-week suspended sentence for contempt of court activated on August 13, 2022, due to continued non-compliance. Once released from HMP Cardiff, he was provided 18 weeks to "soft strip" the interior of the building to render it unusable.

That deadline lapsed in January 2023 and last year marked his fifth court defeat as his sentence was upheld. He was ordered to pay £9,962 in costs to the district council despite asserting that he has now sold it all for a mere £1.

In September 2023 it was reported that he had been served an interim injunction to prevent him from harassing neighbours with parking and CCTV.

Mr Wildin's neighbours accused him of expressing his annoyance at the council on them by congesting the road's parking spaces with his array of classic cars.

He launched an appeal, and in December, it was stated that he was awarded a final injunction - allowing him just to park two cars on the road plus making provision for two guests, who can only remain for a maximum of eight hours.

The judge also ruled that Mr Wildin cannot maintain the CCTV surveillance cameras on the exterior of any vehicle or on any extendable pole. But in March this year, reports emerged that the six-bed home near the 'man cave' - alleged to be owned by his family, was set to become a holiday let.

Temporary permission has been granted for its usage as such - despite locals' concerns about noise, vehicles, and "noisy revellers". Last month, when asked if he wished to comment and whether he thought the demolition was justified, Mr Wildin declined to answer and promptly returned inside the property.

A Forest of Dean District Council spokesperson said: "As a council it is our duty to ensure that planning and development proposals comply with the law and bring benefit to the local area, whilst also safeguarding the community.

"Hundreds of people every year follow the correct process for planning applications and development, sadly this has not been the case at this location.

"It is important to note that the cost of this process should not be borne by the taxpayer, and we will look to recover the full cost of the demolition from the landowner in due course.

"We will work closely with our demolition contractor, to limit any disruption for residents. We would like to also take this opportunity to thank the people living in close proximity to this property for their patience during this lengthy legal process."