A couple who totally outwitted the council by disguising their house as a garage have been ordered to tear it down after it became apparent that they'd converted it illegally.
Jackie Shearsby and Peter Hickinbotham disguised their home in Long Itchington, Warks, after buying what was a derelict, crumbling garage. They converted it into a two-bedroom house, complete with living room, pitched roof, windows and a porch area.
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The couple fitted double-doors to the front to make it seem like it was a normal garage, though they soon invited trouble.
Last December, after living in the garage since April 2012, they contacted planners, asking if they could convert it into a "habitable residential dwelling"... Which they'd already done.
Of course, things didn't go down too well and Jackie, 55, and Peter, 68 were forced to pay Stratford-on-Avon District Council £7,145.65 in court costs.
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As if having to pay over seven grand wasn't bad enough, Nuneaton Magistrates Court made an enforcement order that the couple had to return the building to its original format.
The court ruled that the couple had breached planning laws, adding that there had been a 'deliberate concealment'.
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Cllr Simon Lawton, Chairman of Regulatory Committee said: "Planning regulations are there to protect against unauthorised development.
"The council will consider this court process to prevent breaches becoming immune from enforcement action where a breach has been deliberately concealed to avoid enforcement action."
Despite having to change it back to a grumpy old garage, you have to give them their due, while it lasted, it was great.
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: council, Couple, Home, House