Photograph courtesy of fr4dd
A disabled musician has been told to demolish the £160,000 recording studio he built in his back garden after losing a High Court battle to save the building.
Nick Allen had planning permission to renovate his barn but the agreement with Wiltshire council did not allow for conversion to a studio. The council said the barn, in the village of Holt, contravenes planning regulations and must be demolished by September 10.
If the building is not demolished by that date then Allen could face prosecution. However, the musician has said he cannot afford the costs of removing the building, having invested all his money in building the studio in the first place.
The guitarist, who has been in the music industry for over 30 years, told a High Court hearing that the studio had been built for use by any musicians, regardless of disability.
Allen told the BBC: "I wasn’t trying to deceive the council, and if I did something wrong it was because I didn’t know I was doing something wrong. It’s one of the few disabled-friendly studios that I know of and it’s a crying shame that this building cannot be used."
In a statement, Wiltshire council said: “The decision making process has been completely transparent and consistent. It is most regrettable that Mr Allen progressed with erecting a building without the benefit of planning permission in the first place.”
