Captain Sir Tom Moore’s family appeals order to demolish 'unauthorised' spa pool in planning permission row
17 October 2023, 08:24 | Updated: 17 October 2023, 12:42
The family of Captain Sir Tom Moore are set to appeal an order to demolish a spa pool that was added to a building made in his name.
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Captain Sir Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband, Colin, were granted permission to build a Captain Tom Foundation Building on the grounds of their Bedfordshire home in 2021.
However, a retrospective application for a larger building with revisions, including a spa pool, was rejected by the council in November 2022.
Central Bedfordshire Council notified the family to demolish the “now-unauthorised building”.
Captain Sir Tom’s family have since appealed the notice to the Planning inspectorate and are set to attend a hearing on Tuesday to decide whether it should be demolished or not.
The family will argue that the revised building was “no more overbearing” than the one that was originally granted permission in 2021.
“The subject building is no more overbearing than the consented scheme,” Mr Ingram-Moore’s appeal statement read.
“The view is virtually identical save for a pitch roof being added to the elevational treatment. The heights are the same. As such there cannot be an unacceptable overbearing impact."
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The hearing is expected to last one day with a decision published between four to six weeks later.
In the documents submitted for appeal, the family have also said the council had “no grounds supporting the refusal of the retrospective application”.
Sir Tom raised £38.9 million for the NHS at the height of the first national Covid-19 lockdown in April 2020 by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday. He died in February 2021.
The council said its reports "detail harm caused to the setting of the listed building and, in particular, the significant difference between the two schemes that arises from the lack of sufficient public benefit that has been proposed in respect of the unauthorised building".
It also stated that the demolition requirement is not "excessive" and the "size and scale of the unauthorised building" has an adverse impact on the Ingram-Moores' neighbours.
Responding to allegations about her late father's charity millions, Hannah Ingram-Moore said her father wanted them to keep the profits from his three books: Captain Tom's Life Lessons, One Hundred Steps and his autobiography Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day.
Ms Ingram-Moore said the money made went into Club Nook Ltd - a firm separate to the charity in his name.
