Couple ordered to tear down dream £1million home in 'flagrant breach' of rules

JEREMY ZIELINSKI AND HIS WIFE ELAINE SPENT YEARS BUILDING THE PROPERTY OF THEIR DREAMS - BUT NOW THEY HAVE BEEN TOLD TO TEAR IT DOWN AFTER A "FLAGRANT BREACH" OF PLANNING RULES

06:36, 21 May 2025Updated 06:36, 21 May 2025 A couple have been told to knock down their swanky one-million-pound pad after a "flagrant breach" of planning laws. Jeremy Zielinski

and his wife Elaine are gutted, claiming they'll be left homeless and that they didn't know they were bending the rules. They had the green light for a two-storey commercial

building for their horses and a lab, with a tiny flat upstairs for workers. From the outside, their gaff in Great Abington, Cambridgeshire looked legit, but inside it was all done up as a

lush three-bedder with cracking windows offering lush views of the fields. Council officials sniffed out the sneaky switcheroo and slapped them with an order to demolish the lot. But Mrs

Zielinski, 79, pleaded with this week: "We want to carry on living here. It's a warm and comfortable home. I love it. It doesn't make sense to tear it down. I don't want

to go and live in a caravan. If we are chucked out, we will be having to rely on the state." The Zielinskis, who have six grandchildren, tried to overturn South Cambridgeshire District

Council's ruling in 2023, arguing it was over the top and they could just switch back to what was allowed, reports the Mirror. But their hopes were dashed when a planning inspector

checked out the evidence and ruled they'd built a house from the start, calling it "a clear and flagrant breach of planning policy". Mrs Zielinski, a GP's receptionist,

insisted to Mail Online: "We would not have gone on and built this and put all our money into it unless we thought it was totally legal to do it." Her hubby, 73, who used to market

for The Injured Jockeys Fund and now delivers meds, lamented: "I have not had a decent night's sleep in years and, from the moment when we got the first visit in 2020 [from

council officials], life has been shaky." The couple from Great Abington, just a stone's throw from Cambridge, left locals split after their planning appeal flopped. A sympathetic

neighbour remarked: "I genuinely feel sorry for him." South Cambridgeshire District Council, run by the Lib Dems, is banging the drum about the importance of planning laws and

countryside conservation. Article continues below Councillor Dr Tumi Hawkins, top dog for planning at the council, said he's chuffed with "the inspector's clear

decision". He hammered home: "This case shows the importance of adhering to the specific uses and conditions that justify development in rural areas. Planning rules are there for a

reason – including protecting our countryside and this decision demonstrates that we will act when those rules are broken." _FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND STORIES FROM ACROSS THE

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