Couple ordered to tear down dream £1million home in 'flagrant breach' of rules

A couple have been ordered to demolish a dream one-million-pound after their "flagrant breach" of rules.

But Jeremy Zielinski and his wife Elaine have complained they will have nowhere to go and insist they were unaware they breaking the rules. They had been granted for a two-storey commercial building for a stallion semen collection centre and laboratory, with a small first floor flat for staff.

The outside of the property in Great Abington, Cambridgeshire adhered to their planning application, but the interior was turned into a well-appointed three-bedroom home with stunning feature windows overlooking the countryside. Council officials got wind of the subterfuge and issued an enforcement notice to tear the structure down.

But speaking to reporters this week, Mrs Zielinski, 79, said: "We want to carry on living here. It’s a warm and comfortable home. I love it. It doesn’t make sense to tear it down. I don’t want to go and live in a caravan. If we are chucked out, we will be having to rely on the state."

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Mr and Mrs Zielinski, who have six grandchildren, appealed against South Cambridgeshire District Council's decision in 2023 on the grounds that it was excessive and the property could simply revert to the permitted use.

However, it has now been thrown out after a planning inspector saw evidence the couple had "constructed a dwelling from the off" and decided they made "a clear and flagrant breach of planning policy".

Mrs Zielinski, who is a GP’s receptionist, told : "We would not have gone on and built this and put all our money into it unless we thought it was totally legal to do it." Her 73-year-old husband, a former marketing manager for The Injured Jockeys Fund who now does home deliveries for a pharmacy, said: "I have not had a decent night’s sleep in years and, from the moment when we got the first visit in 2020 [from council officials], life has been shaky."

Neighbours in Great Abington, around seven miles southeast of Cambridge, were divided after the horse-mad couple had their appeal rejected. One man said: "I genuinely feel sorry for him."

South Cambridgeshire District Council, controlled by the Liberal Democrats, has stressed the case highlights the importance of planning rules and how they protect the countryside.

Councillor Dr Tumi Hawkins, the authority's lead cabinet member for planning, said he welcomed "the inspector's clear decision".

He added: "This case shows the importance of adhering to the specific uses and conditions that justify development in rural areas. Planning rules are there for a reason – including protecting our countryside and this decision demonstrates that we will act when those rules are broken."