'Nightmare' since house next door was demolished

A woman claims her home has been plagued with issues after her neighbour demolished and failed to rebuild the adjoining property.

Shivarna Mitra bought her semi-detached house in Pudsey, Leeds, in 2021 as a fresh start for her family. The house next door was sold the following year and the new owner began work on the property, but demolished it without planning permission due to safety concerns.

Leeds City Council retrospectively refused a demolition application and the other half of the semi has never been reinstated.

She said: "We've got damp on the walls, rats have been eating the electrics, we've had squirrels in the cavity walls, holes in the roof - the list is endless."

A year after Mitra moved into her house with her mother and young son, the adjoining property changed hands and the new owner, who the BBC has not been able to contact, began work on an extension.

But after construction got under way, severe weather conditions compromised the safety of the building and the owner demolished it without applying for consent to do so.

They then sought retrospective permission for the work and a larger replacement, but the application was turned down and work halted.

"You don't expect to buy a house and, a year later, this to happen", Mitra said.

She claims the removal of the house has allowed pests such as rats, wasps and squirrels to enter, and led to damp walls and a damaged roof.

Mitra said she contacted Leeds City Council several times, but the situation remained unchanged.

The council told the BBC that following the unauthorised demolition, building control officers went to the site and concluded Mitra's house was structurally sound.

They recommended weatherproofing the partition wall, and passed the advice on to the site owner at the time, but the work was never carried out.

The plot has now been resold and permission to build a replacement property has been granted.

But Mitra said: "I'm stuck and I've not asked for any of this at all. When you've managed to buy your first home and it's for a better life for you and your family, you don't expect this.

"I think what it's highlighted is that this can happen to anybody."

Leeds City Council added that it would continue to monitor the site, which has now been secured ahead of the commencement of construction work.

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