Staff are persevering with to tear down the UK’s ‘greatest man cave’ after a millionaire misplaced his lengthy operating authorized battle to maintain the ‘eyesore’ he constructed greater than ten years in the past.
Graham Wildin, 72, has constantly defied court docket orders to knock down his unlawful leisure complicated – which features a bowling alley, on line casino and cinema.
Piles of bricks and scaffolding fences appeared behind the accountant’s house within the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, over the weekend as council staff started to tear 10,000sq/ft construction aside.
Mr Wilden constructed the constructing in the back of his home with out planning permission in 2014 and has frolicked behind bars after he didn’t adjust to a court docket order to decommission the constructing.
The controversial pensioner has additionally misplaced a string of different authorized proceedings to native planners, in addition to angering residents after he parked his basic automobiles and vans exterior his neighbours’ houses and utilized to show his adjoining house into a vacation let.
Piles of bricks and scaffolding fences might be seen behind the house within the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, the place the large construction had been constructed with out planning permission
Graham Wilden, 72, pictured, has already been locked up after he refused to take away the complicated behind his house
The 72-year-old has constantly defied court docket orders to knock down his unlawful leisure complicated – which features a bowling alley, on line casino and cinema
Final week, the Forest of Dean District Council started work to tug the ten,000sq/ft complicated aside, having confirmed earlier this 12 months that it will be torn down
Earlier this 12 months, the Forest of Dean District Council confirmed it will be tearing down Mr Wilden’s leisure complicated.
A spokesperson for the council stated: ‘As a council it’s our responsibility to make sure that planning and improvement proposals adjust to the regulation and convey profit to the native space, while additionally safeguarding the group.
‘Lots of of individuals yearly comply with the proper course of for planning purposes and improvement, sadly this has not been the case at this location.
‘You will need to observe that the price of this course of shouldn’t be borne by the taxpayer, and we’ll look to get well the complete price of the demolition from the landowner in the end.
‘We are going to work intently with our demolition contractor, to restrict any disruption for residents.
‘We want to additionally take this chance to thank the individuals dwelling in shut proximity to this property for his or her endurance throughout this prolonged authorized course of.’
Wilden’s first of 5 court docket defeats got here in September 2018 when a Excessive Courtroom injunction was handed down initially giving him till the tip of April 2020 to take away the constructing.
He didn’t adjust to the injunction and was given a suspended sentence in June 2021.
He then misplaced an enchantment in opposition to the sentence on the Courtroom of Enchantment that November and he was ordered to demolish the complicated by March 10 2022.
However when Wildin’s defiance continued, the six-week suspended sentence for contempt of court docket was activated on August 13 2022.
As soon as launched from HMP Cardiff, he was given 18 weeks to ‘smooth strip’ the inside of the constructing to make it unusable.
Piles of bricks and scaffolding fences appeared behind the accountant’s house within the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Boasting a 16-seat cinema, squash court docket, on line casino, bar and bowling alley, the grandfather’s 10,000sq ft constructing additionally featured a 25ft tall, three-storey doll’s home, a smooth play space and indoor tennis and badminton courts
Mr Wilden bowls a wise shot down the ten-pin alley inside his monumental man cave
Mr Wildin’s man cave additionally included a casine full with a roulette wheel and its very personal bar
Mr Wilden misplaced his fifth court docket battle over the ‘man cave’ extension in March 2023 when three Excessive Courtroom judges declared it was proper to jail him for defying court docket orders – regardless of Mr Wildin claiming he had offered the constructing to a Mexican purchaser for simply £1.
Boasting a 16-seat cinema, squash court docket, on line casino, bar and bowling alley, the grandfather’s 10,000sq ft constructing additionally featured a 25ft tall, three-storey doll’s home, a smooth play space and indoor tennis and badminton courts.
Mr Wildin claimed he didn’t assume he wanted permission when he began development, and stated he constructed the complicated 18ft into the bottom to make sure it couldn’t be seen.
In September final 12 months, the millionaire’s neighbours additionally gained a ‘David and Goliath’ court docket battle after complaining about him parking his 11 basic automobiles – together with a gray Bentley Turbo R and burgundy Austin 1100 – and two vans on the street with a community of CCTV cameras set as much as preserve watch over them.
Residents on Meendhurst Street complained to Gloucestershire Police that Mr Wildin’s behaviour in monopolising the on-street parking was anti-social and obtained an interim injunction in September limiting the variety of autos he might park on the street.
Mr Wildin instantly issued an enchantment in opposition to the injunction, however in December district choose Jonathan Napier imposed a full and closing injunction order in opposition to the millionaire, which means he’ll now solely be allowed to park two automobiles on the street plus provision for 2 guests, who can solely keep for a most of eight hours.
Final 12 months, the millionaire’s neighbours additionally gained a ‘David and Goliath’ court docket battle after complaining about him parking his 11 basic automobiles on the street
Residents on Meendhurst Street complained to Gloucestershire Police that Mr Wildin’s behaviour in monopolising the on-street parking was anti-social
The complaints in opposition to the pensioner led to a panel being assembled by ‘Solace’ – a partnership between Gloucestershire police and the county’s district and metropolis councils to stop, examine and sort out anti-social behaviour – who had been liable for acquiring the preliminary injunction.
In the course of the two-day trial, Gloucester County Courtroom heard that Mr Wildin had positioned parking high quality notices on various neighbours’ autos which had been blocking his driveway.
The court docket was additionally instructed that due to the variety of autos parked within the street, a Forest of Dean District Council bin lorry was unable to gather the garbage.
Mr Wildin disputed this and quite a few different points by his authorized consultant Sasha Wass KC.
In the course of the trial, at which Solace sought a full and closing injunction order, Mr Wildin’s lawyer maintained that his neighbours had been at fault and claimed that, aside from one event, he had not blocked his neighbours’ driveways with any of his autos.
It was claimed by the prosecution, led by Victoria Fennell, that Mr Wildin moved his basic automotive assortment on to the road to create parking chaos in a bid to power the authorities to make a U-turn concerning the man cave.
Mr Wildin was ordered to pay his personal authorized prices, believed to be within the area of £80,000, plus £5,000 in the direction of Solace’s prices.
Mr Wildin’s spectacular man cave had room for a desk soccer desk alongside a cushty sitting space
Graham Wildin contained in the leisure centre he has constructed for himself and his household in his again backyard
Mr Wildin stands exterior the works at his big man cave after the council beforehand ordered him to tear it down
The choose did take away one interim situation over inflicting a nuisance and annoyance to others, in addition to the facility of arrest if he didn’t adjust to the injunction.
After the anti-social behaviour case evaluate, Di Blandford – a retired detective and co-ordinator for Solace – stated it was a victory for the neighbours who had collaborated to carry this motion.
Ms Blandford added: ‘The residents of Meendhurst Street had turn out to be pissed off in that once they got here house there was nowhere to park close to their houses as a result of Mr Wildin had taken up all of the out there areas along with his assortment of automobiles.
‘That is the primary prosecution beneath anti-social behaviour laws, involving automotive parking disputes. I’m happy that a big contingent of these affected by Mr Wildin’s antics had been in a position to see the method in motion and the injunction being supported by the justice system.
‘It felt like a David versus Goliath victory for the neighbours, because of the efforts of our prosecutor.’
Ms Fennell stated after the trial: ‘I’m very happy with the end result of the listening to for the entire residents of Meendhurst Street.’
However in March this 12 months, it was reported the six-bed house close to the ‘man cave’ – regarded as owned by his household, was to turn out to be a vacation let.
A brief go-ahead has been given for it for use as such – regardless of locals worries over noise, automobiles and ‘noisy revellers’.
The Armac Group, the corporate liable for the elimination of the leisure complicated, refused to remark when approached by MailOnline.
