THE owner of a bungalow built without planning permission and set to be used as a care home has been ordered to tear it down after coming under fire for the work.

Back in 2020, work began on green belt land behind Vidor, in Honiley Avenue, Wickford, before Basildon Council was made aware of the work following complaints.

According to planning documents, the landowner intended to use the bungalow as a residential home but had failed to seek planning permission from the council.

After the completing the work in March 2023, and application was submitted to Basildon Council for the bungalow to be used as a three-bed care home.

This was refused by the council and an enforcement notice was issued ordering for the building to be demolished.

However, the applicant, listed as Ken Kent, lodged an appeal with the Government’s planning inspectorate hoping the decision would be overturned.

This week, the appeal has been dismissed and the council’s decision on enforcement action upheld.

The bungalow must now be removed.

Craig Rimmer, Conservative councillor on the planning committee, said: “It is really important before you build anything to get permission from the council first.

“If it is green belt, it is also more likely you aren’t going to get a favourable outcome, so it is better to check first whether it is possible to build on the land.”

According to the planning inspectorate documents, the bungalow was originally constructed by the appellant to provide suitable accommodation for his terminally ill wife.

Sadly, the applicant’s wife passed away in 2022 and the planning hearing was told that demolishing the bungalow was a “devastating prospect” for him.

The plan to turn it into a care home would have required six to eight full-time staff on a swift pattern with two members of staff on site at a time.

In the planning statement, the applicant stressed: “There is a clear and identified need for care homes in the vicinity of the site.

“There is a chronic shortage of fully kitted out care accommodation in the locality care beds across the borough.”

The applicant has nine months to comply with the enforcement order.