A Milton Keynes couple have been shocked to learn they must tear down their unauthorised “granny annexe” within 12 months following a failed planning appeal.
Hannah Edwards, 35, and partner Elzan Seraj, 45, converted a detached garage at their £625,000 Westcroft estate home into a three-bedroom annexe for his elderly parents, but never obtained the correct planning permission.
When visited this week, the pair claimed they had no idea about the demolition order.
Mr Seraj told The Daily Mail: “This is the first we have heard about any decision to demolish any building work. Our architect has been dealing with the planning application and the council, and we have had no updates since May/June last year.”
What started as a modest single-storey garage with a sloping roof was transformed into a second home, complete with a loft conversion, flat-roofed dormer, and glass-fronted Juliet balcony.
The finished building now houses three bedrooms, a bathroom, lounge, and kitchenette – far exceeding the small one-bed annexe originally approved for the site.
Milton Keynes Council rejected a retrospective planning application back in 2021, describing the flat-roofed dormer as “bulky and excessive.”
Planners argued the scale and design caused harm to the neighbourhood’s character and appearance.
Hannah Edwards and partner Elzan Seraj converted a detached garage at their £625,000 Westcroft estate home
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They also raised privacy concerns, noting that raised windows and the balcony looked directly into neighbouring gardens, creating what they called “a harmful erosion of privacy.”
An enforcement notice followed in June 2024, demanding the unauthorised development be removed.
The couple had argued the ground floor was specifically designed to provide step-free access for elderly relatives – something their four-bedroom, three-storey main house couldn’t offer.
They also maintained the upstairs bedrooms were essential for hosting visitors from out of town and overseas.
The garage was converted into a three-bedroom annexe for his elderly parents
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Mrs Edwards, who runs three pubs in Buckinghamshire, launched a final appeal claiming the building was “ancillary” to their main property and caused no harm to neighbours.
Planning Inspector Zoe Franks wasn’t convinced. She pointed out the couple already live in a substantial home with plenty of space, questioning why relatives or guests couldn’t simply stay there instead.
Ms Franks said: “There is nothing before me to show why they would be unable to use the ground floor accommodation or bedrooms in the main house for these purposes.”
Neighbours on the quiet estate expressed mixed feelings about the situation.
Yagmur Wilkinson, a Zumba instructor whose family has lived backing onto the property for 17 years, told The Daily Mail she’d never received any council communication about the development.
She said: “We have no issues at all in terms of privacy or otherwise. I do feel sorry for them, but then if they were supposed to seek permission then that is a different matter.”
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, echoed similar sentiments about the lack of consultation.
Shenley Brook End and Tattenhoe Parish Council had objected to the project, calling it “overdevelopment” that was “out of character for the street and surroundings.”
They warned the building would be overbearing on neighbours and worsen parking pressures on already narrow roads.