Chris Rhodes has insisted he is not the bad guy after knocking down his half of a Leeds semi-detached home, leaving his neighbour Shivarna Mitra living next to a pile of rubble.
The 44-year-old Ms Mitra says her home is now riddled with damp and mould and is unsellable. But the 47-year-old dad-of-four, who has since left the UK, blamed both Ms Mitra and Leeds City Council for making the situation worse, as he defended his actions.
Rhodes blames circumstances
Speaking to MailOnline, he said: "There were very unfortunate circumstances that cost my wife and I a significant amount of money and stress also." He claimed those circumstances "created a bad situation of which I tried to work with all parties concerned at every point to resolve", but said he could not say the same about his former neighbour.
Previously Ms Mitra, who lives with her young son and elderly mum, described the past four years as a "nightmare". After years of saving the mum-of-one bought her three-bed home in May 2021 for £217,000. She then spent around £80,000 on renovations, including a £35,000 garden and a new kitchen.
Dispute timeline
She has said holes left in her walls and roof let in rain, rats, squirrels and wasps, with rats chewing through wires and leaving the house needing a full rewire. The mum also told how she had been undergoing cancer treatment during the dispute, saying: "Instead of recovering, I'm fighting battles from my hospital bed on emails."
Mr Rhodes, a self-employed carpenter, bought the neighbouring house in July 2022 for £280,000. That summer he secured planning permission for two extensions and construction work began in October 2022. But Ms Mitra claims he used the planning approvals as cover to demolish the property, a claim Mr Rhodes denies. Ms Mitra contacted Leeds council in January 2023, claiming the work breached planning consent.
Safety concerns and planning refusals
Mr Rhodes says a storm left the gable wall unsafe and that, following Health and Safety Executive guidance, he took it down along with the front wall. He told MailOnline: "I had a discussion with the HSE and it was agreed [that pulling the wall down] was necessary and the correct course of action to avoid any risk or danger to others and their properties."
In May 2023 a stop notice was issued by the council, which Mr Rhodes says he complied with in full. He said a planning enforcement officer told him he should have applied to demolish, adding: "This goes against what the Health and Safety Executive said and I had an obligation, both legally and morally to immediately make things safe. I accepted that there would be planning ramifications at this point but the number one priority is safety."
Mr Rhodes then needed permission for a brand new house. He claims the council ignored him for months after he applied, saying: "I received zero response from my many answer machine messages and emails." That application was refused, but in May 2024 a second application for a five-bedroom home was approved. But that house was never built. Instead Mr Rhodes sold the plot with planning permission earlier this year for £115,000, saying he did not want his family "exposed to all the nastiness".
Council and HSE responses
He claims Ms Mitra tried to block the rebuild at every turn and questioned why she would oppose it if the empty plot was such a problem. He also denies Ms Mitra's claim he was aggressive towards her, telling MailOnline: "This did not happen and I was in no way, shape or form, aggressive with her." He alleged she was abusive towards his builders and called the fire brigade over fires that did not exist. Ms Mitra denies being abusive or aggressive.
Mr Rhodes also denies his builders damaged her home. He said: "We did not touch her roof as is shown in the videos and images. We left approximately two feet of our roof so as to protect the top of the wall from direct weather."
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "The building was subsequently taken down by the owner without the necessary Council permissions being in place. The owner was advised by Leeds City Council to submit a Section 80 Demolition Notice but did not do so."
The council said Building Control officers later found the neighbouring property "remained structurally stable" and recommended weatherproofing the exposed party wall. It added: "As these are privately owned properties, the council advised Ms Mitra to contact her house insurer and take legal advice. The council will continue to monitor the site and take any appropriate action as necessary."
An HSE spokesperson said the regulator visited the site once the property had already been demolished and gave verbal advice on scaffolding and site security, adding: "At the time of the HSE interactions there were no breaches of health and safety legislation that required formal enforcement."
Ms Mitra's insurer has brought a legal claim, which she says is still around two years from reaching court.
