Captain Tom's family hit back after being ordered to pull down unauthorised spa complex 'built using his name'
1 August 2023, 10:29
Captain Sir Tom Moore's family has defended an unauthorised home spa which has been ordered to be demolished.
The veteran fundraiser's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband used the Captain Tom Foundation name on the first plans for the building, with revised plans then turned down.
Mrs Ingram-Moore, 52, and husband Colin built the 50ft by 20ft pool house equipped with changing rooms, toilets and showers.
Read More: Captain Tom Moore's daughter appeals demolition order 'so she does not have to rebuild tennis court'
The couple told planners they wanted an office for The Captain Tom Foundation at their £1.2million home but instead an unauthorised spa and pool complex was constructed in their garden which they have since been ordered to tear down.
The couple are now appealing the order and defended the structure in planning documents.
Mr Ingram-Moore said: "The subject building is no more overbearing than the consented scheme.
"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."
He also claimed there were "no grounds supporting the refusal of the retrospective application" and asked the Planning Inspectorate to uphold their appeal.
The Ingram-Moores requested planning permission for a "Captain Tom Foundation Building", which was "for use by occupiers... and Captain Tom Foundation", according to documents submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) in August 2021.
The local authority granted permission for the single-storey structure to be built on the tennis courts at the Grade II-listed home.
Then, in February 2022, the family submitted revised plans for the already partly constructed building, which called it the "Captain Tom Building".
The plans included a spa pool, toilets and a kitchen, which the Design & Access and Heritage Statement said was "for private use".
In November 2022, Central Bedfordshire Council refused the retrospective planning permission for the revised plans.
Residents who live near the building have labelled it an "eyesore".
Captain Tom lifted spirits during the first Covid lockdown by walking laps of his garden in the run-up to his 100th birthday.
He raised almost £39million for the NHS before his death from the disease in February 2021.
