Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

Incredible pictures show five mansions worth £1million reduced to rubble

Incredible pictures show five mansions worth £1million reduced to rubble

ASTONISHING photos show the demolition of five mansions worth £1million each after they were built "too big" - leaving homeowners devastated.

The almost complete six-bed properties were found to be up to a third bigger and in different locations than allowed under planning rules.

Five mansions each worth £1million have been demolished after being built in breach of planning regulations

The properties in Bolton were razed to the ground after being built too big

Councillors initially ordered their demolition in 2018, but it took four more years for the work to be carried out after developers appealed


Their plot is now little more than a pile of rubble after the final home was razed to the ground this week.

Councillors ordered the demolitions on the West Pennine Moors near Bolton, Lancs, in 2018.

But legal wrangling with developer Sparkle Developments and pleas from homeowners meant the work to take them down did not start until May last year.

An inquiry heard how plot one had a 31 percent bigger footprint than allowed, while plot two was 19 percent bigger, plot three 32 percent bigger and plot four 33 percent bigger.

The developer had claimed the enforcement notice issued by the council to demolish the homes was excessive and too harsh to remedy any breach in planning regulations.

And Elan Raja, who owns one of the mansions, told the hearing he'd faced a "nightmare" as he begged for his house to be left standing.

He said he paid £1,057,000 for the plot in 2016 - but has since spent more than £215,000 on the rental of an alternative property and other costs.

"It has had life-changing consequences for me," he said.

"I feel trapped in a vicious circle with deepening financial pressures and effects on my family.

"Every day feels like I'm waking up to a nightmare. The best way to describe it is a pressure cooker."

In spite of his pleas, the properties have now been torn down.

Councillor Andy Morgan said: “It’s the right thing to do.

"There are two applications for individual plots to be built with slight alterations.

“The intent is to rebuild them and save much of the materials.”

What to know about planning permission


While minor improvements to your home may not need planning permission, any major works will need the council's go-ahead.

You'll need planning permission if you're going to build a new property, make a major change to your existing home, or change the use of a building.

To find out if you need permission, contact your local council.

You can also search a register of planning decisions, to object or comment on proposed works in your area.

After you apply, you local authority will decide whether to grant permission.

It will take into account factors such as the number, size and appearance of the buildings, and how your development would affect the surrounding area.

You'll usually find out the council's decision within eight weeks.

If you're not granted permission, you might be able to appeal.

If you carry out works that require permission without getting it, you can be served an enforcement notice, which will order you to undo all the changes you've made.

You can appeal an enforcement notice, but it's illegal to ignore it.

Homeowners have been left devastated by the decision

The almost complete six-bed properties were found to be up to a third bigger and in different locations than allowed

Councillor Andy Morgan said: 'It’s the right thing to do. The intent is to rebuild them and save much of the materials'


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×