A COUNCILLOR has explained why he did not get planning permission for an extension at his home after facing heavy criticism from his council colleagues.

Councillor Louis Stephen, who was criticised for demolishing a conservatory at his home in Bath Road in Worcester and replacing it with a dining room extension without first getting the proper planning permission, said he did so because of bad advice from an architect.

Cllr Stephen, who was a member of Worcester City Council’s planning committee for three years before quitting in 2019, said he had been advised by an architect that the work would have been allowed without the need to get planning permission from the council and the designs had received, what he thought, was a positive response from the council.

He said: “I decided to replace an existing draughty and cold conservatory with a proper extension built to the latest insulated building standards. The old conservatory was built after first getting planning permission and the new extension was being built on exactly the same foundations.

“My architect advised me that the planned extension would be covered by permitted development rules.

“I did worry if indeed it would be covered by permitted development rules, so we sought pre-application advice from the council.

“We received what we thought was a positive response to the preliminary design that was submitted.

“Work started and to be absolutely sure that all paperwork would be in order in case we ever moved house, we decided to apply for a ‘certificate of lawfulness’ using the latest construction drawings.

“It was at this point that we were told that although the walls of the new extension were within the limits set by permitted development unfortunately the overhang of the roof was not.

“We then sought to regularise this by applying for a full planning permission.”

Worcester City Council said it could not comment as pre-application advice is confidential.

The work was condemned by Cllr Stephen’s fellow councillors who said he should have known better.

Despite the anger and disappointment from the council’s planning committee, the work at the Green Party councillor's home was still retrospectively approved at a meeting last Thursday (May 7).

Planning committee chairman Cllr Chris Mitchell said he was disappointed.