Homeowners in Birmingham who built a two-storey structure without planning permission have refused to demolish it, despite losing an appeal. The building, erected on the driveway of a semi-detached home, was originally approved as a single-storey garage in 2019 but was constructed as a much larger, 1.5-storey building with a box dormer.
The owners claim the structure is used as a gym, complete with punch bags and machines, and insist it will remain standing. A woman who answered the door told reporters: “We’ve not been told to demolish the property. We use it as a gym, we go in there every day. We’re not ashamed of it. We’ve got nothing to prove to anyone.” Another woman added: “Until the council gets in direct contact with us to tell us to demolish it, what we’re going to say to everyone is ‘f*** you’ because we’re going to keep it.”
Planning inspector Thomas Shields, who dismissed the appeal, noted that the building is “substantially larger” than the approved garage, with a footprint of 8.7m by 4.7m and a height of 5.3m. Instead of a garage door, it features a pedestrian door and a tripartite bow window, along with two rooms in the roof. The inspector concluded that the differences were “not minor” and that the structure did not benefit from planning permission.
Birmingham City Council served an enforcement notice requiring demolition by July 1, 2022. A council spokesperson said: “We served an enforcement notice for the demolition of the unauthorised structure when the owner lost at appeal. We are in discussions with the owner regarding the timeline.” The homeowners, however, maintain they have not been directly contacted by the council and will only act if formally instructed.
