Family face 'being homeless by Christmas' after £60k order to tear down own home
26.09.2022 - 13:37
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A family could be left "homeless by Christmas" after being ordered to demolish their own home by the courts. Stephanie Rolfe and Stuart Macdonald say they are 'facing financial ruin' after being told that they will have to cover the £60,000 cost of bulldozing the building.
After a four-year dispute over the timber structure, which was built to replace a garage on the same site, thy have been given less than two months to "dismantle" the extension. The couple, who live with their two young children in a quiet cul-de-sac in Solihull, Warwickshire, say they constructed the moveable home under caravan legislation.
Their home sits on a plinth, and has been rendered to fit in with the style of the surrounding homes. "We had an honest held belief it was lawful", Stephanie and Stuart told Birmingham Live.
However, the local council have said the home has a "harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area" and have pressed forward with the demolition order, despite neighbours writing in support of the family of four.
Stephanie and Stuart, who have children Freddie, five, and Mollie, two, said the decision could leave them "paying a mortgage on a home they no longer have" in a cost of living crisis.
"We will be homeless by Christmas" Stuart said. "Our son is disabled and has a helper in the local school, there's no way we can get a house near here."
Stephanie, 41, and Stuart, 34 have been paying rates and council tax on the property. Solihull Council said they "recognise the disappointment" the recent court decision will cause and are committed to supporting the family.
In 2018, looking for an affordable way to live near Stuart's mother, the family got retrospective planning permission to convert his mum's detached