Neighbour row as woman ordered to take down ‘monstrosity’ dormer extension

A woman has been ordered to remove a dormer extension, which is compared to an executive box at a Premier League football stadium. Rozia Hussain, 43, spent thousands on the extension to her terraced home in Worcester, West Midlands. Since the modifications, the property’s market value has increased by more than 200%.

The house was bought for £100,000 in 2003 and had peeling paint and chipped brick work. But over the last four years the three-bedroom house in Wyld’s Lane has been transformed. It is now worth up to £320,000, according to Rightmove.

Mrs Hussain now faces having to demolish the extension after Worcester City Council rejected her retrospective planning application.

The council said: “By virtue of its size, design and position, the addition of the large box dormer to the front of the property results in detrimental impact and creates significant harm to the character and appearance of the existing property and wider street scene in which it sits.

“The dormer at Wyld’s Lane is much more visually intrusive than the approved, well-designed, more subtle addition.”

Mrs Hussain, who owns a newsagents in the city, said she didn’t know anything about the planning application being rejected, adding: “I don’t think it looks too big.”

The decision has divided her neighbours, who have split opinions on the rejection. One said they thought the house looked much better now and it was in a “terrible” state a few years ago.

They added: “It now looks modern and clean. The dormer doesn’t really bother me, but I think some people are concerned because it looks right onto their properties.”

Another neighbour said: “A few years ago I applied to have a dormer on my house but it was refused. The reason the council gave was because it would not be in keeping with the area or sympathetic to the age and heritage of the property.

“In my view I just think it would be grossly unfair if this woman was allowed to have a large dormer on her property when I was not. I mean the extension is very big. It looks like an executive box you get at Premier League football grounds.

“When my friend visited he asked what the monstrosity was on one of the houses so it’s clearly noticeable to people.”

Mrs Hussain has three months to tear down the dormer or face enforcement action.

A council spokesperson said an enforcement notice served on June 17 comes into effect on Thursday (July 17). They said it requires Mrs Hussain to remove the dormer and restore the roof or adapt the current dormer so it complies with the planning permission given. Mrs Hussain has three months to carry out the works and can appeal against the notice until July 17.