A father who demolished half of his semi-detached home in Leeds has been pictured as his former neighbours spoke of the 'horrible' situation.
Dad-of-four Chris Rhodes knocked down his section of the semi-detached property in Pudsey, Leeds. Having relocated overseas, he recently defended his actions after his former neighbour, Shivarna Mitra, described being left in a 'nightmare' situation, forced to live adjacent to what is now an empty plot of land. Ms Mitra, 44, claimed she has been left living beside a heap of rubble since the property was demolished.
Neighbour's claims
Ms Mitra said her home has become impossible to sell as it has been afflicted with damp and mould. She bought her three-bedroom home in May 2021 for £217,000 and says she has spent roughly £80,000 on renovations, which included a £35,000 garden and a new kitchen. Ms Mitra, who lives in the home with her young son and elderly mother, now claims rainwater has been penetrating her home through gaps in her walls, along with rats, squirrels and wasps also gaining access.
Mr Rhodes disputes that builders caused structural damage to Ms Mitra's home, including her having to remove the back garden decking, and that his builders left holes in her loft walls and the side of her house.
Mr Rhodes' defence
Defending the decision to MailOnline, Mr Rhodes said: "There were very unfortunate circumstances that cost my wife and I a significant amount of money and stress also." He claimed the circumstances 'created a bad situation of which I tried to work with all parties concerned at every point to resolve'.
Self-employed carpenter Mr Rhodes purchased the neighbouring property in July 2022 for £280,000. He secured planning permission for two extensions that summer, with building work commencing in October 2022. However, Ms Mitra alleges he exploited the planning approvals to demolish the entire house, which he vehemently denies. Ms Mitra, who notified the council in January 2023, maintains the works breached planning consent.
Mr Rhodes maintains that in January 2023 he was not instructed to cease work by the council, but rather was "in the middle of building work in line with granted planning permission". He explained that during the works, the gable wall between the properties "became unsafe and at great cost to ourselves we had to immediately make it safe".
He said: "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. We [the builder] immediately took the wall down to make it safe, and the front wall had to come down also."
Council and HSE statements
Leeds City Council issued him with an official stop order in May 2023, which he states he "fully complied with". He added: "I had a meeting with the planning enforcement officer and he notified us that we should have submitted an application to demolish to the council. 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."
Following the demolition, Mr Rhodes was informed he would be required to submit an application for a new-build property, as he had gone "beyond the percentage threshold for refurbishment". With a second application for a five-bedroom property ultimately receiving approval in May 2024, the house was never built. Mr Rhodes sold the plot with planning permission earlier this year for £115,000.
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council stated: "The council is aware of the demolition of a property at this site following structural instability that arose during construction works. 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."
"Following the unauthorised demolition, officers from the council's Building Control team attended the site to assess the remaining structure and any potential impact on the adjoining semi-detached property. Their assessment concluded that the neighbouring property remained structurally stable and that no additional shoring was required. Officers also recommended measures to make the exposed party wall weatherproof and provided this advice to the owner. 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."
A HSE spokesperson noted: "HSE visited the site when the property had been demolished. HSE provided verbal advice in relation to scaffolding and site security. At the time of the HSE interactions there were no breaches of health and safety legislation that required formal enforcement."
Neighbours' reactions
Design engineer Adam Humphreys, a neighbour who resides close by, expressed his sympathy for Ms Mitra. Speaking to LeedsLive, he said: "We only bought the house two years ago and it was like that. It must be horrible to have that on the side of your house. I feel bad for her."
Mr Humphreys added: "I don't know what's gone on between them but hopefully it gets fixed. Everyone has seen the story and no one wants that on the side of their house! Everyone just thinks it looks horrible. Everyone is surprised when they see it and they think 'what's gone on there?'."
