{"id":15062,"date":"2026-08-21T17:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=15062"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:39:12","slug":"a-mother-spent-170000-building-a-two-storey-annexe-to-give-her-disabled-daughter-a-safe-home-in-worcester-it-now-faces-demolition-after-neighbours-complain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=15062","title":{"rendered":"A mother spent \u00a3170,000 building a two-storey annexe to give her disabled daughter a safe home in Worcester; it now faces demolition after neighbours complain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133408665,imgsize-166914,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-officials-have-rejected-her-appeal.jpg\" alt=\"A mother spent \u00a3170,000 building a two-storey annexe to give her disabled daughter a safe home in Worcester; it now faces demolition after neighbours complain\" title=\"Clair Birch says her \u00a3170,000 annexe was designed around her disabled daughter\u2019s needs, but planning officials have rejected her appeal. (Photo: SWNS)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Clair Birch says her \u00a3170,000 annexe was designed around her disabled daughter\u2019s needs, but planning officials have rejected her appeal. (Photo: SWNS)\">Clair Birch says her \u00a3170,000 annexe was designed around her disabled daughter\u2019s needs, but planning officials have rejected her appeal. (Photo: SWNS)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A mother who spent \u00a3170,000 building a two-storey annexe for her disabled daughter could now be forced to demolish it after losing a planning appeal. Clair Birch, 59, built the one-bedroom annexe in the garden of her semi-detached home in Worcester.<!-- --> She said the building was designed to give her daughter more independence and meet her specific needs.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>However, the annexe was built without planning permission. After the council rejected a retrospective application, Clair appealed the decision. She has now also lost a separate appeal asking for more time to comply with the enforcement notice.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>According to a report by SWNS, Clair must now either remove the unauthorised building or make changes to meet Worcester City Council\u2019s requirements.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Why did Clair build the \u00a3170,000 annexe?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The annexe replaced an existing garage and outbuilding at the property. Clair said the project was carried out in good faith and that she believed the required planning paperwork had been submitted.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>A retrospective planning application for the one-bedroom annexe was submitted on March 6, 2025. Worcester City Council rejected it in November 2025.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>An appeal against that decision was dismissed on February 16, 2026. Clair said she was left facing the consequences of mistakes made by her builder and planner.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>\u201cI\u2019m liaising with my builder and planner who apparently has submitted all the correct paperwork,\u201d she previously said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>\u2018It was built to meet my daughter\u2019s needs\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Clair said her daughter wanted to live independently and that the annexe was designed around her needs.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>\u201cShe\u2019s got a phobia of being on the ground floor at night, so we put a second floor in,\u201d she said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>\u201cThat building was built to meet my daughter\u2019s needs. I was assured by someone who works in the department and my planner that it was all good.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>Clair also said she had already lost \u00a370,000 after an earlier builder allegedly left the property unstable.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>\u201cMy planner royally messed up. On one application he put it as an Airbnb, then he has done this,\u201d she said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Neighbours complain about the annexe<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u00a3170,000 annexe at risk: Mum Clair Birch could be forced to demolish the building she created for her disabled daughter after losing a planning appeal.\" msid=\"133408783\" imgsize=\"595378\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"\u00a3170,000 annexe at risk: Mum Clair Birch could be forced to demolish the building she created for her disabled daughter after losing a planning appeal. (Photo: SWNS)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-595378,msid-133408783\/170000-annexe-at-risk-mum-clair-birch-could-be-forced-to-demolish-the-building-she-created-for-her-disabled-daughter-after-losing-a-planning-appeal.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a3170,000 annexe at risk: Mum Clair Birch could be forced to demolish the building she created for her disabled daughter after losing a planning appeal. (Photo: SWNS)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>The large structure has caused tension with neighbours, some of whom have described it as an eyesore.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>One neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed the building was too close to the property boundary and had caused damage.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>\u201cIt\u2019s not fit how she built that building anyway. At the end of the day, how they\u2019ve built it is right on the line and it overhangs my property,\u201d the neighbour said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>\u201cA lot of the damage on my property is still not fixed.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"44\"\/>The neighbour also claimed the annexe looked like a separate property because it had been fenced off and had its own garden.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/>\u201cIt is almost like another property up there, how they\u2019ve fenced it off and kept it separate from the main building,\u201d they said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>Another resident questioned how the building had been constructed without planning permission.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/>\u201cWho builds a detached house in their back garden without getting permission first? It\u2019s barmy. It looks like a bungalow which has been extended,\u201d the resident said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"53\"\/>A second neighbour said they initially thought the existing garage was simply being rebuilt.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"55\"\/>\u201cI thought they were rebuilding the garage but it just kept on going,\u201d they said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/>They also claimed the building affected privacy because residents could see into neighbouring gardens.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><keyword id=\"38546448\" type=\"General\" weightage=\"20\" keywordseo=\"planning-inspector\" source=\"Orion\">Planning inspector<\/keyword> rejects request for 18 months<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>After losing the original planning appeal, Clair asked for more time to comply with the enforcement notice.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"63\"\/>A separate appeal to extend the compliance period from six months to 18 months was heard on August 12. However, planning inspector Sarah Hanson rejected the request.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"65\"\/>In her report, Hanson acknowledged Clair\u2019s concerns about her daughter\u2019s accommodation but said the personal circumstances did not change the planning decision.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"68\"\/>\u201cThe appellant considers that six months is insufficient because the building currently accommodates their daughter, who has specific needs,\u201d Hanson wrote.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"70\"\/>She added that those circumstances did not alter the fact that the development had been found unacceptable on planning grounds.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"73\"\/>The inspector said the steps required under the enforcement notice were straightforward and included removing the unauthorised building and clearing the resulting materials.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"76\"\/>\u201cNo substantive evidence has been provided to demonstrate that those works could not reasonably be undertaken within six months,\u201d Hanson stated.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"78\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Mum has until February 2027<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Clair now has until February 2027 to comply with the enforcement notice.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"81\"\/>She will either have to demolish the unauthorised annexe or make changes that satisfy the council.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"83\"\/>The case has left Clair facing the possible loss of a building that she says was created specifically to give her disabled daughter a safe and independent place to live.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"85\"\/>According to the report, Clair declined to comment further when approached this week. Worcester City Council also declined to comment further.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/uk\/a-mother-spent-170000-building-a-two-storey-annexe-to-give-her-disabled-daughter-a-safe-home-in-worcester-it-now-faces-demolition-after-neighbours-complain\/articleshow\/133408310.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clair Birch says her \u00a3170,000 annexe was designed around her disabled daughter\u2019s needs, but planning officials have rejected her appeal. (Photo: SWNS) A mother who spent \u00a3170,000 building a two-storey annexe for her disabled daughter could now be forced to demolish it after losing a planning appeal. Clair Birch, 59, built the one-bedroom annexe in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Clair Birch says her \u00a3170,000 annexe was designed around her disabled daughter\u2019s needs, but planning officials have rejected her appeal. (Photo: SWNS) A mother who spent \u00a3170,000 building a two-storey annexe for her disabled daughter could now be forced to demolish it after losing a planning appeal. Clair Birch, 59, built the one-bedroom annexe in [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off.avif",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off-300x169.avif",300,169,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/clair-birch-says-her-170000-annexe-was-designed-around-her-disabled-daughters-needs-but-planning-off-150x150.avif",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}