A charming farmhouse is set to be knocked down after it had been built illegally on green belt land.
The property on Dones View Farm in Dutton in Cheshire, will be demolished tomorrow at a cost of £20,000 after planners ruled he did not seek permission.
The home was constructed by retired builder Barry Devine, who bought it in 2000 and spent 19 years transforming the 19th-century barn into a sprawling house with separate wings.
Mr Devine insists he never needed planning permission, but the council said it was an entirely new house – not the original barn – and ordered its demolition in March 2019.
Cheshire West and Chester Council also demanded the removal of boundary walls and fencing.
Mr Devine spent four years and ‘all his money’ fighting the order through the Planning Inspectorate, High Court and Court of Appeal – but lost every challenge.
His final appeal was dismissed in March 2023, but he still insisted on keeping the house so never knocked it down.
He was then prosecuted by the council for failing to comply with its enforcement notice.
A charming farmhouse is set to be knocked down after it had been built illegally on green belt land
The property on Dones View Farm in Dutton in Cheshire, will be demolished tomorrow at a cost of £20,000 after planners ruled he did not seek permission
The home was constructed by retired builder Barry Devine, who bought it in 2000
He spent 19 years transforming the 19th-century barn into a sprawling house with separate wings
Pictured: The front gate of the 19th-century barn which was converted into a sprawling house with separate wings
Mr Devine was found guilty of one breach and appeared at Chester Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, November 6.
The offence carries an unlimited fine.
But Recorder Eric Lamb delayed sentencing after Mr Devine produced documents showing demolition work was scheduled.
The work is due to start on Saturday and finish on November 28 at an estimated cost of £20,000.
The judge also raised concerns that Mr Devine was unrepresented, having ‘spent all his money’ appealing the case.
Sentencing was adjourned until December 21, with council inspectors authorised to visit on December 14 to check the demolition.
Mr Devine said he was ‘not going to talk about’ the case.
