Mum fears losing home in £180k house extension row

A woman who wrongly thought she did not have to seek planning permission for a £180,000 extension has said she fears becoming homeless after her council ordered it to be torn down.

Mum-of-four Suzie Cavadino, who bought her house in Aughton, Lancashire, about 20 years ago, said her builders had advised her she would not need to seek permission to knock down her conservatory and build a two-storey, two-bedroom extension in its place.

"I do own the fact this is all my fault because I didn't put plans in," she said. "At the time I was desperate, stupid, naive and I just went for it."

West Lancashire Council said: "We recognise the impact planning decisions can have and meet with residents."

Cavadino explained how she had reached this point.

"It wasn't project managed or anything like that," she said of the extension work.

"I just kept giving [my builders] cash as it was going on, with no receipts. It was all just a big, massive mistake, looking back, but there's nothing I can do about it now."

The first floor of her extension contains bedrooms for two of her children, while the kitchen lies directly underneath.

Cavadino, originally from Bootle on Merseyside, said the extension had been in place for three years "with no problems whatsoever and then I just got an email to say it needs to be demolished".

She continued: "It's just turned our lives upside down because the extension houses our kitchen, our boiler.

"You know without that we can't live here, we're basically going to be homeless."

West Lancashire Council's enforcement notice was upheld on appeal by the Planning Inspectorate, the government agency which adjudicates on property disputes.

She has been ordered to comply with the demolition notice by 24 April.

On 24 October, planning inspector KA Taylor wrote: "The development has caused unacceptable harm to the living conditions of neighbouring occupants with regard to outlook and loss of light."

In its statement, the council said it was committed to supporting residents served with demolition notices and helping them to find practical solutions.

But it pointed out: "If the independent planning inspector upholds the requirements of an enforcement notice, the council must comply with that legally binding decision.

"We would urge anyone looking to undertake building work, such as extensions on their property, to contact the council's planning department before starting any work to make sure all necessary permissions have been taken into account."

Cavadino said she had contacted the local authority in the hope of reaching a compromise.

She has also warned others not to solely rely upon the advice of their builders.

"Just do your homework," she said. "Don't trust anyone until you really do your research.

"Look into it a lot more than what I have done."

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