A father who demolished half of a semi-detached house in Leeds, sparking a four-year dispute with his former neighbour, has defended his actions, insisting the demolition was necessary for safety reasons and that he is not a “neighbour from hell”.
Chris Rhodes, 47, said he and his wife suffered years of stress and significant financial loss before eventually abandoning plans to build a family home on the plot and selling the land. The father-of-four said he tried to resolve the situation with everyone involved, adding: “Sadly, I cannot say the same about Shivarna.”
Dispute over demolition
Mr Rhodes bought the three-bedroom semi in Pudsey, Leeds, for £280,000 in July 2022 and secured planning permission for two extensions before work began that October. However, the project turned into a bitter dispute after part of the property became structurally unstable and was demolished.
His former neighbour, Shivarna Mitra, 44, who lives in the adjoining home with her young son and elderly mother, previously claimed the work left parts of her £217,000 property exposed. She said water got in through the roof and holes in the wall, causing mould and damp, and that her heating bills were about £630 a month. She also claimed rats chewed through electrical wires, while squirrels and wasps entered the home.
Safety concerns and council response
Mr Rhodes denies his building work caused the problems. He said a storm made the gable wall between the two properties unsafe, and that pulling it down was necessary on safety grounds. He said he had a discussion with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and it was agreed the wall should be taken down to avoid risk or danger to others and their properties.
Leeds City Council later said the property had been demolished without the necessary permissions. A 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 HSE confirmed it visited after the demolition. A spokesperson said: “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.”
Planning battle and sale of plot
The council issued an official stop notice in May 2023, which Mr Rhodes said he complied with. He then tried to secure permission for a replacement home but claimed he faced months of difficulties dealing with the council. His first application for a five-bedroom property was refused, but a redesigned five-bedroom home was approved in May 2024. He never built it, instead selling the plot with planning permission to new owners earlier this year for £115,000.
Mr Rhodes said he made the decision because he “did not want my wife and children exposed to all the nastiness” and claimed Ms Mitra had been “trying to stop us building at every possible point”. He denied being aggressive towards her, saying: “This did not happen and I was in no way, shape or form, aggressive with her.”
Ms Mitra, who bought her home in May 2021 and spent around £80,000 renovating it, described the ordeal as a “nightmare”. She claimed she is now unable to carry out some repairs because she cannot access the neighbouring land and fears her home has become unsellable.
The council said its building control officers later inspected the remaining structure and concluded Ms Mitra’s property was structurally stable and did not require additional shoring. It advised her to contact her house insurer and take legal advice, adding: “The council will continue to monitor the site and take any appropriate action as necessary.”
