Restoration deadline for mansion

Andrew Hazell had been told to apply for appropriate planning consents Enlarge Image

A businessman who turned a mansion into a "Footballers Wives'-style" house has seven months to show restoration costing up to £500,000 is on course.

Andrew Hazell, 45, had no planning permissions for changes to the Georgian Grade II listed building.

Planners were appalled at the effect on the 250-year-old The Gondra country estate near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Mr Hazell has not been fined, but told to spend money restoring the mansion.

It is estimated the cost of restoring the six-bedroom house will be between £400,000 and £500,000.

In what he called an exceptional case, Judge David Wyn Morgan postponed sentencing to give Mr Hazell to the end of July to prove that work was well underway to restore the mansion.

I was appalled when I inspected the house - it was the worst building work I had seen in my 25 years in the job Paula Clarke, planning enforcement chief

"It is paramount that the heritage of the house is protected and that the house is being properly restored."

The court heard that Mr Hazell put in new modern windows, built a large new kitchen, gutted a 16th Century cottage in the grounds and demolished part of the historical house.

He also built a swimming pool, erected a conservatory over a courtyard and built a six-vehicle garage.

Late 18th Century features including six-panel doors, moulded architraves, plaster cornices, tall sash windows and marble fireplaces had been ripped out, the court heard.

Planning enforcement chief Paula Clarke explained how she called at the mansion in Shirenewton following a tip-off from a member of the public.

After being refused access she then obtained a court order to inspect the property, which includes 58 acres of land and a herd of wild deer.

She told the court: "I was appalled when I inspected the house - it was the worst building work I had seen in my 25 years in the job.

Referring to the once popular TV series, she added: "It looked like something straight out of Footballers' Wives.

Renovation work

"Mr Hazell had not got planning permission, listed building consent or building regulations approval."

Mr Hazell, who has lived at the house for three years with his wife Clare and their family, admitted breaching planning regulations by demolishing a listed building.

He went ahead with the work despite being told by architects that he should first get planning permission, listed building consent and building regulations approval.

The judge was told that Hazell was now applying to Monmouthshire Council for planning permission to carry out the renovation work to put it back to its former glory.

Geraint Hughes, defending, said: "There is every reason to hope that in the relatively near future this application will be dealt with and approved work will commence."