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Millionaire ordered to tear down £3m mansion because he didn't get planning permission
Gareth Wilson completed his dream development during the lockdown but now the council has told him to pull it all down – despite locals in the area coming out in support of the businessman
A bloke who’s built a stunning £3million mansion on his country estate has been ordered to get the bulldozers in – because he didn’t get planning permission.
Work on Gareth Wilson’s smart new home in Scotland was finished in late 2021 but the local council then told him he’d have to make a retrospective planning application.
And now millionaire Gareth – who helps run a well known firm of auctioneers – has been instructed to knock down his dream mansion and restore it to the original, much smaller building.
The posh new property sits on his Tennox Farm estate near Kilbirnie, Ayrshire. The estate includes several business ventures, including holiday rentals.
Builders moved in during the pandemic and the resulting new sandstone building features a Spanish slate roof and a balcony, and there’s a spiral staircase inside, reports the Mail Online.
But he failed to submit formal planning permission in advance and in March last year Gareth, 44, was ordered by officers from North Ayrshire Council to apply for retrospective permission.
The council has told him the five-bedroom property isn’t in keeping with the local area.
The council said: “It is considered that the development has a negative impact on visual amenity and is incongruous with the established character of the countryside area.”
Meanwhile, the Coal Authority had raised fears the property could be affected by past mining in the area and could be at risk of collapse.
Gareth appealed the council’s decision to the Scottish Government, but the appeal was rejected.
Support for Gareth has come from locals, who say he has been a great supporter of the local economy, and they point out the mansion can’t be seen from the road or from any neighbouring farms.
One farmer told Mail Online: “I can't see why anybody would be the least bit bothered by his house, to be honest.
“It's his land and if he has done all the groundwork to make sure it is safe to be built on I'm fine with that.
“His place is beautiful and there has been no expense spared.”
Another said: “I know Gareth. He is well liked in the community and has helped bring a lot of money into the local area.
“I don't think anyone will have been consulted on this by the council because the nearest neighbours to Gareth live over half-a-mile away and are outside the consultation area.
“Everything he does he does to the absolute highest standards. He rents properties on Tennox Farm and they are all absolutely beautiful buildings.
“I'm not sure the council can say it is not in keeping with the local area when it is on his own land and is so secluded you wouldn't even know it was there.”
Gareth is a director of Wilson's Auctions, which is the largest independent auction company in the country.
Daily Star Sunday
Gareth Wilson completed his dream development during the lockdown but now the council has told him to pull it all down – despite locals in the area coming out in support of the businessman
A bloke who’s built a stunning £3million mansion on his country estate has been ordered to get the bulldozers in – because he didn’t get planning permission.
Work on Gareth Wilson’s smart new home in Scotland was finished in late 2021 but the local council then told him he’d have to make a retrospective planning application.
And now millionaire Gareth – who helps run a well known firm of auctioneers – has been instructed to knock down his dream mansion and restore it to the original, much smaller building.
The posh new property sits on his Tennox Farm estate near Kilbirnie, Ayrshire. The estate includes several business ventures, including holiday rentals.
Builders moved in during the pandemic and the resulting new sandstone building features a Spanish slate roof and a balcony, and there’s a spiral staircase inside, reports the Mail Online.
But he failed to submit formal planning permission in advance and in March last year Gareth, 44, was ordered by officers from North Ayrshire Council to apply for retrospective permission.
The council has told him the five-bedroom property isn’t in keeping with the local area.
The council said: “It is considered that the development has a negative impact on visual amenity and is incongruous with the established character of the countryside area.”
Meanwhile, the Coal Authority had raised fears the property could be affected by past mining in the area and could be at risk of collapse.
Gareth appealed the council’s decision to the Scottish Government, but the appeal was rejected.
Support for Gareth has come from locals, who say he has been a great supporter of the local economy, and they point out the mansion can’t be seen from the road or from any neighbouring farms.
One farmer told Mail Online: “I can't see why anybody would be the least bit bothered by his house, to be honest.
“It's his land and if he has done all the groundwork to make sure it is safe to be built on I'm fine with that.
“His place is beautiful and there has been no expense spared.”
Another said: “I know Gareth. He is well liked in the community and has helped bring a lot of money into the local area.
“I don't think anyone will have been consulted on this by the council because the nearest neighbours to Gareth live over half-a-mile away and are outside the consultation area.
“Everything he does he does to the absolute highest standards. He rents properties on Tennox Farm and they are all absolutely beautiful buildings.
“I'm not sure the council can say it is not in keeping with the local area when it is on his own land and is so secluded you wouldn't even know it was there.”
Gareth is a director of Wilson's Auctions, which is the largest independent auction company in the country.
Daily Star Sunday