Wiltshire couple faces demolition order over home built for disabled daughter
A Wiltshire couple must tear down their four-bedroom house after the council rejected retrospective permission for an added basement and decking, despite the home being built for their disabled child.
The de Wittes built a new four-bedroom home on a hillside site in Kingdown, Wiltshire, completing it in 2022 after receiving permission for a replacement house in 2019. The finished property includes an extra basement level and a decking area, which the council says exceed the size of the previous dwelling and violate Green Belt rules. The couple maintains the basement was necessary for structural foundations and later converted it into living space for their disabled daughter, urging that this need be a material consideration in any planning decision.
Wiltshire Council rejected a 2024 application to regularise the alterations and again turned down a 2025 proposal that would have concealed part of the basement and reduced the deck. An enforcement notice ordered demolition by the end of August, but the appeal to the Planning Inspectorate has paused the order while a decision, expected in the autumn, is considered.
Why it matters
The case highlights how planning rules and disability accommodation needs can clash, affecting homeowners and local authorities.
In this story
