David and Dawn Allen, two Scots, had a terrifying experience in their dream home in Midlothian, England. The two unfortunates will have to shave off their £600,000 (€676,932) mansion due to a planning error.
The couple explained in their column in the Mirror that they had been struggling for months to save their home and it had taken a toll on their mental health.
In 2018 David and Dawn requested permission to demolish a building so they could build their mansion on the site. Then after getting the order they started the construction work. But later, when they were in the middle of building, they were allegedly mistakenly given permission to build their dream home. The town planner said the ‘hip’ roof over the garage was ‘vulnerable’ to the local area and should be removed.
The couple asked for more time to fix problems with their new home, but were shocked when they received an enforcement notice telling them they had to make changes to the house or it would be demolished in the summer. . The Allens had no choice but to go to the Scottish Government in frustration. But even there it was told that the deadline had passed and nothing more needed to be done.
Dawn explains that despite already spending £16,000 in fees in the battle to save their home, she and her husband face bills of more than £100,000 to change their plans. In a letter to the government, Don explained how it affected his health. “In 2019, I received a building order and a letter confirming that I can proceed with the construction of my house. My builders built the house according to this mandate plan with some modifications, for which we submitted retrospective planning,” explains the Scotswoman.
“Not as planned”
“During this application, it was discovered that Midlothian Council had mistakenly issued a building permit because planning had not actually been granted. This was only discovered after the house was built in 2020,” laments Dan. “The subsequent work associated with the project will cost us over £100,000 which we have not budgeted for. I am at the mercy of busy builders and engineers for months, and the difficulty of getting building materials,” he adds.
Dan explains that all of this has taken a toll on his health: “Stress has affected my physical and mental health, I’m on medication now, so the added stress is really bad. I’ve been trying hard all year to resolve the issue, and architect, planning and building commission fees. I have spent over £16,000 on them so far,” explains Don.
A spokesman for Midlothian Council said: “We served an enforcement notice on November 18 because the building did not comply with the approved plans.”
