Chris Rhodes, 47, a father of four who demolished his half of a semi-detached house in Pudsey, Leeds, insists he is not to blame for the chaos that followed. His neighbour, Shivarna Mitra, 44, claims her home has been left with gaping holes and infestations, plagued by damp and mould, and is now impossible to sell.
Mr Rhodes, who has since departed the UK, has stood by his actions and attributed blame to both Ms Mitra and Leeds City Council for worsening the situation. Speaking to MailOnline, he said: "There were very unfortunate circumstances that cost my wife and I a significant amount of money and stress also."
Neighbour's nightmare
Ms Mitra, who lives at the property with her young son and elderly mother, has previously described the past four years as a "nightmare". She purchased her three-bedroom home in May 2021 for £217,000 after years of saving, then spent approximately £80,000 on renovations, including a £35,000 garden and a new kitchen.
She has described how gaps left in her walls and roof have allowed in rain, rats, squirrels and wasps, with rats gnawing through wires and leaving the house in need of a complete rewire. She also revealed she had battled cancer and undergone a major operation throughout the dispute, saying: "Instead of recovering, I'm fighting battles from my hospital bed on emails."
Demolition and planning dispute
Mr Rhodes, a self-employed carpenter, purchased the adjoining property in July 2022 for £280,000. He obtained planning permission for two extensions that summer and building work commenced in October 2022. Ms Mitra alleges he used the planning approvals as a cover to demolish the property, which he disputes. She alerted the council in January 2023, asserting the work violated planning consent.
Mr Rhodes maintains a storm rendered the gable wall unsafe and that, in accordance with Health and Safety Executive guidance, he removed it 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."
The council served a stop notice in May 2023, which he states he fully complied with. He said a planning enforcement officer informed him he should have applied for demolition consent, 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."
Council and HSE response
Mr Rhodes subsequently required permission for an entirely new dwelling. He alleges the council ignored him for months following his application, stating: "I received zero response from my many answer machine messages and emails." That application was rejected, but a second proposal for a five-bedroom property was granted approval in May 2024.
The house was never constructed. Mr Rhodes sold the plot with planning permission earlier this year for £115,000, stating he did not wish his family to be "exposed to all the nastiness". He maintains Ms Mitra attempted to obstruct the rebuild at every opportunity and questioned why she would object to it if the vacant plot was such an issue.
He also refutes Ms Mitra's allegation that he behaved aggressively towards her, telling MailOnline: "This did not happen and I was in no way, shape or form, aggressive with her." He claimed she was abusive towards his builders and contacted the fire brigade over fires that did not exist. Ms Mitra denies being abusive or aggressive.
Mr Rhodes also disputes that his builders caused damage to her property. 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 stated that Building Control officers subsequently determined the adjacent 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 confirmed that the regulator attended the site after the property had already been demolished and provided verbal guidance on scaffolding and site security, stating: "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 launched a legal claim, which she says remains approximately two years away from reaching court.
