THE OWNERS of a multi-million pound Leeds dream house in the running to be voted the Best Home in Britain have allegedly broken planning rules.
Lucinda and Mark Black have spent 18 months renovating their home at The Villa, Wigton Lane, north Leeds.
The £2.5m pad is on a shortlist of the most exceptional properties in the country.
HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE YEP'S NEW COMMUNITY WEBSITES?Click here for a full run down of the 11 sites launched to date - all featuring ultra local news, sport and entertainment.But planners are now accusing them of doing building work without permission and have even accused the couple of painting a wall the wrong colour.
The Blacks are taking part in TV contest, I Own Britain's Best Home, hoping to win a £25,000 prize.
But planning officers who checked on renovations found irregularities, says a report by Adam Ward to Leeds East plans panel.
The couple have been required to seek retrospective permission for several changes. The plans panel decided to visit the house before making a decision.
Permission to replace a dormer bungalow with a six-bedroom house was given back in 2005.
A request for minor modifications to the scheme was later refused by the panel but the owners still carried out some work.
The unauthorised developments are:
* A covered barbecue area;
* A reduction in the width of a garage;
* The addition of a first floor bedroom window;
* An increase in height of the north west gable by 1 metre;
* Removal of front rooflights and two front windows;
* Two freestanding walls in the front garden;
* A white rendered wall at the front;
* Landscaping in front of this wall.
Mr Ward says that although the changes were done without permission, they are acceptable.
Objection
One letter of objection sent by the next-door neighbour at no. 95 complained the barbeque would cause increased noise, smoke and smells; and there was a loss of privacy from overlooking.
The neighbour complained a hedge had been destroyed in breach of planning condition which required its retention.
"The council's landscape officer has visited the site," writes Mr Ward, "and determined that although the hedge has been severely pruned, no justification exists to take enforcement action at this stage.
"The applicant has been requested to fill the area around the hedge with soil to enable its future growth. It may take one or two seasons for the hedge to thicken out."
Mr Ward says Mr and Mrs Black have rendered the front wall in white without getting consent from the council.
Planning officers asked for a more sympathetic colour but the Blacks propose to grow plants in the highway verge to soften the appearance.
Mark Black commented: "I am a developer myself and didn't know that I couldn't go ahead and paint the front wall. I rendered it so it matches the rest of the house.
"We are proposing to put in plants which grow up to 1m high to break up the look of the wall.
"The barbeque area is borderline permitted development but the planning officers wanted to play safe and so asked me to get permission for it.
"We are in dispute with a neighbour because she basically hates our house."
l I Own Britain's Best Home is on Five at 8pm tonight. The Villa will feature on April 3. Three homes appear in each programme and viewers vote for the best. Eight heat winners will go through to a grand final.
howard.williamson@ypn.co.uk
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