A FAMILY forced to demolish their home after it was built five metres taller than approved have been granted planning permission to replace it.

It has taken five years but Mr Ijaz Akhter and his wife, Uzma, of 116 The Drive, Rickmansworth, were given the go ahead to build the house of their dreams at a meeting of Three Rivers District Council's development control committee last week.

The application had been deferred for the authority to approve building materials - much of it reclaimed from the previous house.

At the meeting on Thursday, June 13, members voted for applications for the five-bedroom detached house and a retaining wall.

Mr Akhter, who was present, said he was pleased things could now progress.

Speaking after the meeting, he said: "We are very very glad that the whole chapter is, not finally over, but we have got the planning permission to go ahead."

However, he was critical of what he saw as the members' reluctance to approve the amended plans - amendments that Mr Akhter said were "for the benefit of the neighbours".

Singling out leader of the council Mrs Ann Shaw, who commented the plans still looked "terrible", Mr Akhter said: "The feeling I got was that they still didn't want to pass it. They were just looking for silly little things."

He added: "We have met every condition they have put on us. How many other applications go on where the councillors actually ask to check the brick we are going to use?"

"We have suffered so much. The family suffered so much, the children as well. The council are saying we want to help you any which way we can but at the same time, they are looking for any excuse to try to stop us."

June 18, 2002 13:30