A businessman sparked a furious planning row with neighbours after he started parking his £200,000 electric Aston Martin in his front garden.
Tony Knox, 62, took down a fence at his Georgian townhouse so he could charge the sports car overnight.
But he failed to get planning permission for the alterations beforehand and, after neighbours in well-heeled Brandling Village, in Newcastle-on-Tyne, objected, Mr Knox was refused retrospective permission.
One local said parking a car at the front of the five-bedroom period property was ‘not in keeping’ with the rest of the street, which is in a conservation area. ‘(It is) frankly an eyesore,’ they said.
Another admitted parking was a ‘nightmare’ on the small road and said ’emotions’ were running high about Mr Knox’s controversial parking arrangements.
Planners at Newcastle City Council agreed approving Mr Knox’s alterations ‘would be at odds with the prevailing character of the area.’
‘A car parked within the front garden would be incongruous and harmful,’ they said.
They rejected Mr Knox’s retrospective application and his subsequent appeal, before issuing an enforcement notice ordering him to return the fence and garden to its original state.
A businessman has sparked a dispute after ripping down a fence in his front garden so that he could park his Aston Martin
Tony Knox removed the fence at his £600,000 Georgian townhouse so that he could charge his electric motor overnight
Locals have complained since the removal of the fence, arguing it is not ‘in keeping’ with the rest of the street
If he fails to comply and move the 2019-plate car into the road he could face court action.
Mr Knox insisted he simply wanted to charge his vehicle safely from home ‘without traipsing wires across the pavement.’
‘The big issue is that, if you live in an area like this, people don’t have drives and there are no charging points for electric cars,’ he said.
‘You aren’t allowed to drag wires across the streets and pavements to charge vehicles. Over the next few years, all cars are going to be electric. This is going to be a massive issue in the future.
‘It will be impossible for the council to pay to install charging points at all of these period homes.’
Mr Knox, who is currently renovating his £600,000 home, claimed most of his neighbours were ‘supportive’ and it was ‘one or two’ who were ‘kicking up a fuss.’
Neighbour Stephen Mcareavey (pictured) said others on the street ‘have mixed views about what should or shouldn’t be allowed’
On a street where parking is already difficult, neighbours say the removal of the fence has worsened the situation
Mr Knox, who is currently renovating his £600,000 home, claimed most of his neighbours were ‘supportive’ and it was ‘one or two’ who were ‘kicking up a fuss’
‘We’re in the process of a restoration project,’ he added. ‘We’re putting in floorboards and fireplaces and trying to get the home as close as we can to its original state.
‘At the front of the property there was an ugly, wooden, B&Q fence. We got rid of it, and installed some original railings and reclaimed Georgian pillars. We had planning permission for that.’
But some neighbours claim the renovations have worsened the parking situation, as spaces are no longer be available in front of Mr Knox’s driveway.
Local Stephen Mcareavey, 53, an IT director, added: ‘On the one hand, electric cars are a good thing and I would like people to be able to charge them from home, which isn’t easy in these terraces.
‘Neighbours have mixed views about what should or shouldn’t be allowed. The front of the homes should be preserved. If I had an electric car I would expect to charge it at a charging point away from my home.’
A spokesman for Newcastle City Council said: ‘A boundary fence was removed and a parking space was created within the front garden at an address in the Conservation Area of Brandling Park, Jesmond, Newcastle, without planning permission.
‘Following complaints, we investigated and advised the owner that the new boundary and parking space would not be supported. The Council can take formal enforcement action to require homeowners to reverse unauthorised development, which may include stopping work, removing structures, or restoring land to its original state.’