Captain Tom's family will demolish unauthorised spa pool building at Marston Moretaine home

Captain Tom’s family’s spa will be demolished after they failed to take their final opportunity to appeal.

Colin and Hannah Ingram-Moore had applied in 2021 for planning permission to build a “Captain Tom Foundation building” at their home in Marston Moretaine.

The original application for an L-shaped building was approved, but Central Bedfordshire Council refused a retrospective application a year later for a larger C-shaped building containing a spa pool.

The council subsequently served an enforcement notice for the demolition of the “now-unauthorised building”.

The Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal and ruled that the family had three months to remove the facility.

The Independent reported that the planning inspector, Diane Fleming, said the size of the partially-built spa had “resulted in harm” to the family home, a Grade II-listed building.

The Ingram-Moores had six weeks to appeal this decision in the High Court.

A Planning Inspectorate spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The Government Legal Department has now had confirmation from the Admin court that the deadline to challenge the Appeal Decision in the High Court has passed and that no claim has been issued in this matter.”

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesperson told the LDRS: “The Inspector set a deadline of three months from the date of the decision for the building to be demolished and the council will be reviewing the onsite position on February 8, 2024.”

As well as tearing the building down, the family will need to restore the land to its “former condition”.