When Syed Raza Shah (inset) spent most of his life savings making over his 1960s bungalow, he was over the moon with the result. The businessman ended up with a lavish seven-bedroom home (left and top right) - complete with two extra storeys and sweeping balconies - which was valued at nearly triple the original price. But Mr Shah has now been ordered to raze his £2m bolthole to the ground - because his extension is up to four times bigger than it should've been.
Mr Shah had been granted planning permission to add a new roof and to increase the floor space of the old house in Barton-Le-Clay in Bedfordshire by around 45 per cent. But Central Bedfordshire Council hit him with an enforcement notice, claiming the three-story mansion had been extended by up to 200 per cent. Now, after a two-year legal battle, a planning inspector has upheld the council's decision, ruling that the property 'harms the character' of the area and should be returned to its original size (bottom right).
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