Angry residents of a suburban street are embroiled in a three year row with their neighbour after he demolished most of his house to build an extension – without getting permission from the council to do so.
Harminder Singh Reehal, from Oldbury in the West Midlands, applied to Sandwell Council seeking permission to build a series of extensions at his home back in 2021.
But he then sought permission to build a bigger two-storey extension – and has ploughed on with partially demolishing the house to build it despite council planners not giving him the green light.
A meeting of the council’s planning committee was scrapped last month after it emerged only one of the home’s original walls was still in place – with the rest reduced to rubble to the fury of neighbours who say it’s ruining their lives.
Images show wooden hoardings surrounding the house, which itself is without a roof and hollow. It is also covered in scaffolding.
The house in Oldbury has been all-but demolished despite the project not having permission to proceed
Residents have branded the unauthorised project an ‘eyesore’ after all but one of the original walls was torn down
At least one resident has been trying to sell her house for the last year – and says she hasn’t been able to shift the property because potential buyers always mention the half-built project across the street.
The woman, named Samantha, lives across the road and said she has been having trouble selling her house, which has been on the market for over a year.
Samantha, who didn’t want her last name revealed, said: ‘It’s been horrible… Just look at it. I’ve lost count now but it has been in that state for a long time.
‘I’ve actually been trying to sell my own house and when we have house viewings, the potential buyers always mention it. It’s made it hard to sell our houses. It’s definitely had a negative effect on us all.’
Residents also expressed concern over the state of the building works, with a next neighbour saying she is concerned about subsidence in her own home.
The neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, said: ‘I’ve only lived here for about a year, we actually bought this house to be closer to my partner’s family.
‘It’s not great. It’s actually damaged my wall on the side and we are concerned about the possibility of subsidence because it looks like they have done work to the floor.’
Another, David Summerhill, said: ‘Just look at it, it’s been that way for a good while now. What more can you say? It’s ridiculous.
‘Something needs to be done about it. It’s unsightly. It’s been going on for three years now.’
Another local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, added: ‘It’s an absolute eyesore and bringing down the whole area which had been reduced to a building site’.
Google Street View images suggest the fencing has been up since at least June 2022.
The latest proposals had included a first-floor side extension, single-storey side extension and two-storey rear extensions.
Mr Raheel had apologised to neighbours following the planning meeting on March 27, saying the work had taken longer than expected.
In the meeting, he said: ‘We just want to improve the area and get on. It’s a family house, my mum and dad are supposed to come in and that’s why we want to extend the house. I just want to look after my mum and dad.’
The applicant, Harminder Singh Reehal, said he wanted to build the extension so his mother and father could live with him
The house in 2019 (left) and in June 2022, when the fencing was put up and the demolition works appeared to be underway
But when Mr Reehal told the committee he had demolished all but one of the walls on the old building, the council’s solicitor recommended an immediate deferral.
The solicitor said: ‘From what the applicant has just said, he has pretty much demolished his original building in which case it puts into doubt the 2021 permission and also puts into doubt everything you are reading tonight.’
Councillor Ellen Fenton said she was ‘very uncomfortable’ deciding on an extension when it appeared to be a ‘complete new build with one external wall from an old building’.
Ahead of the meeting, Sandwell Council’s planning officers had recommended the application should be approved.
A planning officers report said: ‘The development would have no significant impact on the amenity of surrounding residents and the design and scale would assimilate into the surrounding area; being compliant with development plan policy.
‘Whilst the unauthorised extensions and removal of the former verge is regrettable, the proposal builds on the principles set in the previous approval and seeks to rectify wrongs with a reasonable scheme to address the visual amenity issues.’
