Angry residents are struggling to sell their homes after a neighbour demolished his home without planning permission.
Harminder Singh Reehal, from Oldbury in the West Midlands, was given the green light by Sandwell Council in 2021 to build a series of extensions to his home.
However, after an application to build a bigger two-story extension was rejected, he took matters into his own hands.
Reehal bulldozed his house to build the changes to the structure, with only one of the walls still being left intact after the demolition.
Residents have been left fuming after a neighbour demolished his home without planning permission
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A meeting by the local authority’s planning committee to discuss the plans was scrapped when it was discovered that the majority of Reehal’s home was now rubble.
Residents of Barnfordhill Close are now despairing that they will never be able to sell their homes due to the eyesore.
Samantha, who lives across the road from Reehal’s property, said that she was having issues finding a buyer for her property.
“It's been horrible... Just look at it. I've lost count now but it has been in that state for a long time,” she told the Express and Star.
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“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.”
Another neighbour said she was concerned about the possibility of subsidence in her own home due to the demolition.
Residents of the street have been at loggerheads with both Reehal and the council, criticising the latter for their lack of action.
Fellow resident 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.”
Following a planning meeting on March 27, Reheel apologised to his neighbours and said that the work was taking longer than expected to complete.
Residents of Barnfordhill Close are now despairing that they will never be able to sell their homes due to the eyesore
Google Street View
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.”
Prior to the meeting, Sandwell Council's planning officers had endorsed the application and said it should be approved.
A planning officer's 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.”
