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Strict planning bosses say the house is not like the one they approved plans for and have ordered him to change it – or pull it down.
The 48-year-old builder now says it may be cheaper to demolish the £600,000 property in Woodford than try and bring it into line.
Stockport council issued him with an enforcement notice when they realised it did not comply, saying it was also too close to the main road.
He appealed but now the Planning Inspectorate has ruled against him saying the house is ‘substantially different’ than the one granted planning permission in November 2004. Mr Woodfinden-Lewis now has 12 months to either demolish the house, which he built for himself and his wife, or rectify it.
He compared his situation to that of supermarket giant Tesco, which built a superstore at Portwood, Stockport, nearly 20 per cent bigger than agreed.
He said: “Tesco was given two years to consider what to do while a notice was served on us quickly and our right to appeal was taken away. I think it shows the political power of big companies.
“We accept the findings by the Planning Inspectorate and I’m willing to comply.
Demolish
“Because they say the property is too tall and too close to the road it might be cheaper to demolish it. Everything else could be rectified.
“It will be interesting because 90 per cent of my plan matches their two plans, which have discrepancies. In my plans the house is 12 metres from the public highway exactly the same distance as it in their plans.”
Planning permission was originally granted for a two-storey L-shaped three-bedroom style-cottage overlooking 40 acres of greenbelt land.
An application to change the house type to include a two-storey rear extension, a higher roof and different porch was refused in April 2006.
However, Mr Woodfinden-Lewis built a two-storey extension, which the council said had no resemblance to the approved plans.
Mr Woodfinden-Lewis questioned the accuracy of the council’s measurements after two officials were captured and heard on CCTV measuring the building.
The film shows one woman standing on milk crates holding a tape measure against the house.
Coun Kevin Hogg, chair of the planning and highways regulation committee, said: “We were very confident that the appeal would be dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate. This sends a clear message that the council will not tolerate breaches in planning law.”
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