17 Sun Hill, Cowes, which must be demolished due to a breach of planning regulations.
A TERRACED cottage in an up-market conservation area in Cowes, worth an estimated £300,000 if completed, will have to be knocked down, a planning inspector has ruled.
In a damning judgement, an inspector has upheld a notice issued by the Isle of Wight Council demanding that the cottage in Sun Hill is flattened as it breaches planning rules.
The inspector found that the developer of the building, architect Scott Vincent, built the cottage 1.9m higher than shown on approved plans.
Mr Vincent had lodged an appeal against the enforcement notice issued by council planners but lost the action and will now have to pull down the cottage within the next six months.
Mr Vincent told the County Press that although he had lost the appeal he would see if he could enter into further negotiations with the council to save the cottage.
The inspector said: "As far as I am concerned, we got planning permission for something we can’t build."
In the judgement, the planning inspector voiced surprise that Mr Vincent had built the cottage differently from approved plans, which he himself had drawn-up.
He said: "The appellant indicated the approved drawings were 1:100 scale and claimed they were not accurate enough for scaling the detailed dimensions of the proposed new building.
"I note these concerns but frankly cannot accept the appellant’s criticism of these plans. They were produced by a qualified architect (the appellant) and are scale drawings that clearly and accurately show the relationship of the proposed cottage to neighbouring properties."
The Isle of Wight Council’s head of planning, Bill Murphy, said: "It is a major result and it sends out the right message."
Reporter: davidn@iwcpmail.co.uk