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A multi-millionaire Tory peer has been ordered to tear down an illegal mega-garage at his £2million Surrey home after brazenly defying planners and sparking anger in one of England’s most exclusive villages.
Lord Philip Harris, the flooring tycoon known as the ‘carpet king’, pressed ahead with the vast garage despite having his original plans rejected – igniting anger among neighbours in the affluent Surrey enclave of Holmbury St Mary.
The picturesque village – once dubbed Little Switzerland by spellbound Victorians – shot to international fame after starring as the idyllic setting of Honeysuckle Cottage in the 2006 Kate Winslet film The Holiday.
It is there that the unelected peer has been told to tear down his unauthorised extension – bringing to an end an almost four-year planning wrangle for the Carpetright founder, estimated to be worth more than £100million.
Lord Harris of Peckham, as he is formally known, first applied in 2022 to extend an existing triple garage on land opposite his four-bedroom thatched address – while also proposing a brand-new four-bay garage.
But Guildford Borough Council planners refused permission for what they branded ‘excessive’ Green Belt development, amid concerns from neighbours about the impact on surrounding period properties.
Yet by February 2023, residents were stunned to see builders had moved in regardless.
Where an already substantial 60-square-metre garage once stood, an enlarged structure almost double in size now peaked above the verdant hedgerows of Woodhouse Lane.
Lord Philip Harris, the flooring tycoon known as the ‘carpet king’, pressed ahead with the vast garage (right) metres from his home (left) in Holmbury St Mary, Surrey – despite having his original plans rejected
But the unelected peer has now been told to tear down his unauthorised extension (pictured) – bringing to an end an almost four-year planning wrangle for the Carpetright founder, estimated to be worth more than £100million
He first applied in 2022 to extend an existing triple garage on land opposite his four-bedroom thatched address (pictured) – while also proposing a brand-new four-bay garage
But Guildford Borough Council planners refused permission for what they branded ‘excessive’ Green Belt development by Lord Harris (pictured, at Carpetright HQ in 2009), amid concerns from neighbours about the impact on surrounding period properties
The unauthorised works quickly caught the attention of council enforcement officers, prompting the peer to submit a retrospective planning application in a bid to legitimise the build after the fact.
One neighbour said it was ‘extraordinary’ that Lord Harris had pressed ahead after being refused – adding that once completed, it was obvious why planners had said no in the first place.
Phillip Bennett said in an objection: ‘This application should be refused on the same grounds as it was previously.
‘It seems extraordinary that following the refusal, the owner ignored the decision and built the extension.
‘Now it is built it is easy to see why it was refused. It is clearly visible from Woodhouse Lane and is very close to the boundary.’
Mr Bennett also complained that land once used as a garden had effectively been turned into a car storage and builders’ utility area, saying the growing number of garages and car ports was ‘out of keeping with the character’ of the village.
Lord Harris argued the expanded garage – complete with adjoining car port and gardener’s storage room – was not ‘disproportionate’.
Agents acting on his behalf claimed the extra space was needed to store gardening equipment for his extensive grounds, insisting the 0.25-hectare estate was ‘under-resourced’ when it came to secure, covered parking.
But planners were unmoved, again refusing permission and branding the structure ‘poorly designed’, ‘incongruous’ and ‘unduly prominent’.
Inspectors said Woodhouse Lane was characterised by large homes set in generous grounds, with garages that were subordinate to the main houses – helping create a ‘pleasant, spacious character’.
They ruled: ‘The proposed development is visible from the road and results in a structure with a substantially larger footprint, as well as a larger mass and bulk than the original building.’
Guildford Borough Council then launched enforcement action in 2024, ordering Lord Harris to demolish the extension, restore the garage to its former scale and remove all debris.
Undeterred, the peer appealed to the Planning Inspectorate – arguing the council’s demands were ‘excessive’ and offering to knock down the gardener’s store while keeping the car port.
Inspector Martin Allen dismissed the appeal this month, ruling: ‘I conclude that the requirements of the notice are not excessive and that they are reasonably required to remedy the breach of planning control.’
The large garage lies opposite Lord Harris’s stunning home which is located along a private lane surrounded by some of the country’s most pristine countryside.
The tranquil lane is made up of several multi-million-pound picture postcard homes, with thatched roofs and landscaped gardens.
Nestled in the Surrey Hills, the area is popular with walkers and cyclists with locals expressing their support for the order to demolish the garage.
Julian Frank, who lives in the area, said: ‘Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you don’t have to obey the law. This is an incredibly beautiful area and we want to keep it that way.
‘To be honest, the garage is not an eyesore. Its behind a big hedge and tastefully built. But that’s not the point.’
Pensioner Mary, who was sipping a coffee in a nearby cafe located in woods overlooking the village of Holmbury St Mary, said: ‘There’s a lot of very rich people around here and they’re all very nice.
‘I don’t know Lord Harris, but I’m surprised he would have done something like this. You can’t build without planning permission, we all know that.’
One of Lord Harris’s neighbours who did not want to be named said: ‘We don’t have much to do with each other but that’s not unusual for around here because a lot of people have other homes in London or abroad.
‘If all this had been done properly then I wouldn’t have a problem with the garage, but the law is the law and we’ve all got to stick to it, no matter who you are.’
Lord Harris, who was knighted in 1985 and elevated to the House of Lords in 1996, now has been given two months to carry out the remedial work.
The entrepreneur famously built his fortune from a single shop in Peckham, growing Harris Carpets into Carpetright, Britain’s biggest carpet chain, before stepping down in 2014 and later founding Tapi Carpets.
Yet by February 2023, residents were stunned to see builders had moved in across the road from his home (top) regardless. Where an already substantial 60-square-metre garage once stood, an enlarged structure (bottom) almost double in size now loomed
The unauthorised works (pictured) quickly caught the attention of council enforcement officers, prompting the peer to submit a retrospective planning application in a bid to legitimise the build after the fact
One neighbour said it was ‘extraordinary’ Lord Harris (pictured, at Carpetright HQ in 2009) had pressed ahead after being refused – adding that once completed, it was obvious why planners said no in the first place
The Sunday Times Rich List put his wealth at £285million in 2006.
He has donated millions to charitable causes – particularly education – and sponsors the Harris Federation, which now runs 55 schools across London.
Former education secretary Michael Gove previously hailed him as a ‘hero’ for helping rescue struggling schools.
A longstanding Conservative donor and admirer of Margaret Thatcher, Lord Harris began giving to Labour ahead of the 2024 general election.
Lord Harris has also served as a non-executive director at Arsenal FC since 2005.