A businessman has been ordered to tear down an extension on his family home which neighbours likened to living near a prison yard. Neighbours called Mani Singh’s 3m (9ft) high grey dormer on the rear of his £415,000 property an “ugly eyesore”.
The Unauthorised Build
The dad-of-two built the large extension on the back of his family’s semi-detached house without planning permission. Residents living near the house in Lowlands Avenue, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, complained the building blocked light and ruined the appearance of the area. Mr Singh, who moved into the three-bedroom house in 2024, applied for retrospective planning permission after the council was alerted.
Residents living nearby complained the huge structure - comprising a dormer, loft conversion and skylights - was ruining the character of the neighbourhood. Liz Deakin, 63, who has lived on the street for 35 years, said: “The building is actually very large and is affecting people nearby. It blocks light into nearby houses and looks directly down into gardens and into properties so it’s very intrusive. It reminds me of a director’s box you see at big football stadiums. Not at all appropriate for a quiet suburban area like this. Initially Mr Singh applied for planning permission for this but was turned down. He then applied for permission for a much smaller structure which was approved but then he built this first option anyway.”
Residents Take Action
Determined to tell the council how they felt about the dormer, residents hired a minibus to attend last week’s council meeting. Liz added: “We all went down and I spoke to the council about the problems we have with this large extension. Thankfully the council agreed with us and after the meeting we went to the pub and had a chat about it all.”
Liz’s neighbour Cath Tandy, 75, moved into her home in 1985 with her husband Charlie, who later passed away in 2000. The grandmother-of-two, who works part-time as a hairdresser, said: “I live at the back of the house and before you could see the pitched garage roof at the back of the garden. I never had a problem with that but now all you can see is a huge wall. It’s a bit like being in a prison exercise yard. His argument is that other houses nearby have dormers without planning permission but those houses back onto fields. I used to have lots of sun light coming into my garden in the evenings but the extension has blocked all that so it’s dark most of the time.”
Council Decision
When the dormer was completed, residents complained to the council and Mr Singh was advised to apply for retrospective planning permission. A planning officer initially recommended it be approved but last week Walsall Council – the planning authority for Streetly - turned it down. The council said the dormer was “incongruous” with the area and broke planning laws. Mr Singh now has six months to demolish the dormer or appeal the decision. Mr Singh has been approached for comment.
