Councillor slams time spent on 'tacky' house extension row

“Would I have built it as my own extension? No, I think it’s a bit tacky.”

A councillor told a meeting that “life’s too short” for a bitter row over a Rotherham house extension which he branded “a bit tacky”.

Rotherham Council’s planning board approved retrospective plans for a property on Stafford Drive, Moorgate, following lengthy arguments over boundaries, privacy and alleged planning breaches.

But the owners have been ordered to cut back the two-storey front extension to match the approved drawings, or risk prosecution.

They will have six months from an enforcement notice taking effect to complete the work.

Councillor Drew Tarmey said the matters being disputed were “just not that important in the grand scheme of things”.

He added: “There is an immense sense out here that there’s a lot of wasting people’s time going on.

“Would I have built it as my own extension? No, I think it’s a bit tacky.

“But the character of the neighbouring housing is quite diverse, and there are a couple of other similar buildings on the estate.”

Applicant Safina Hussain urged councillors to judge the proposal on its planning merits rather than previous disputes or speculation.

She also alleged that comments submitted during the planning process had referred to her family’s race and ethnicity and associated them with grooming gangs. Copies had been forwarded to police, she said.

Councillor Paul Thorp urged the board to refuse permission, warning that the council must uphold its rules and stop people “driving a coach and horses through” them.

“The front porch was built without any planning permission and it didn’t happen by mistake,” he said.

Planning officers concluded the revised scheme would not cause unacceptable overlooking or harm the area’s character, and voted in favour of the recommendations.