CONTROVERSY over the five mansions built at Grundy Fold Farm first surfaced in 2016, but the saga began two years earlier when planning permission was granted.
In August 2014, Sparkle Developments got planning permission to build the luxury homes.
After receiving complaints in October 2016, the council found that the five houses were not being built in accordance with the planning permission that was granted.
On closer inspection, they found that the houses were a different design, siting and size than what was approved.
The footprint and total floor area were larger and the height of three houses were higher than permitted.
In addition, all of the homes were built away from the exact siting they had approval for.
The council advised the developer to stop work on a number of occasions over the next few months but construction did not cease until December.
In March, 2017, a retrospective planning application was submitted to retain the homes as they were built, but this was refused by the planning committee in June.
Four months later, another application was submitted to retain the five dwellings.
Following discussions between Sparkle Developments and the council’s planning department last year, the developer was told that the application could only be recommended for approval if it involved selective demolition and re-siting of some of the houses.
Some houses would have been unaffected by this proposal, other than a small reduction in their plot sizes, but two would have to be demolished.
This compromise was rejected by the developer, who decided to press on with the planning application instead.
This second application to retain the five dwellings was refused by the planning committee in May 2018.
Then in the summer of the same year, the council served the developer with an enforcement notice.
This action, which would have taken effect on August 1, required the developer to demolish all homes within six months.
However, Sparkle Developments appealed the notice which meant enforcement action went on hold pending the outcome of the appeal.And after years of disputes with the developer, the homeowners at Grundy Fold Farm decided to take matters into their own hands and submit a planning application in December 2018.
By Febrary 2019, the council was still waiting for an appeal date to be set.
In August 2019, the homeowners had offered to demolish two luxury houses, which had been built too big and in the wrong location.
READ MORE: Bolton town planners accept Grundy Fold homeowners' offer
Planning chiefs recommended that councillors approve the compromise by the Grundy Fold Home Owners Association.
The move was set to cost owners more than a million pounds.
But councillors rejected the proposal.
READ MORE: Bolton councillors refuse Grundy Fold Farm demolition offer
The compromise, which was offered after Bolton Council ordered all five luxury homes to be demolished, received the seal of approval by town hall planners.
But the planning committee decided that the houses were still too big and too far apart from each other.
By that point, a the enforcement notice to demolish the entire development was on hold and a three-day public inquiry to hear the appeal had been scheduled for November 2019.
Homeowners then lodged their own appeal against the council's refusal of their 'compromise proposal'.
READ MORE: Grundy Fold owners lodge appeal after Bolton Council refusal
This then led to a four-day inquiry being scheduled for March 2020.
But that hearing was then shelved due to the first national coronavirus lockdown.
Case officer Paul Eland wrote to Bolton Council to inform the local authority of the planning inspectorate’s decision.
He said: “Following the Government announcement on Monday regarding stopping non essential travel and contact, we unfortunately have made the decision to cancel the Inquiry due to take place on 24 March 2020. This is in the best interests of both our staff and the wider public.”
READ MORE: Public inquiry into Bolton Council’s order to tear down five luxury homes cancelled
In September last year, with the issue was still at a standstill.
READ MORE: Grundy Fold homeowners speak out before upcoming inquiry
A spokesman for the homeowners said: "The development has hit rock bottom.
“The homeowners took over negotiations with the planning officers to find an amicable solution.
“We had hoped the planning committee would approve the homeowners' application which had the weight of an officers recommendation for approval in 2019.
“Twelve difficult months have passed, with a backdrop of an unresponsive developer, a pandemic, a postponed appeal and possibility of a second delay, and due to the rise of Covid-19 cases, more uncertainty looms.
"The human side of this complex development is taking a toll on all families, the financial burden is devastating, we have no choice but to follow through the process and correct the problems created."
The inquiry was delayed again in October last year "due to illness of staff".
READ MORE: Inquiry into ‘half-built’ Bolton mansions faces more delays
THE fate of five part-built mansions constructed on a prominent hillside location then ordered to be torn down because they contravened planning regulations now looks set to be finally resolved next month.
After a series of delays a date for an inquiry into the controversial mansions built at Grundy Fold Farm, Horwich, has been confirmed for March 15, 2021.
The properties, some of which have six bedrooms, are on an exposed hillside location, can be seen from large distances away.
The inquiry will examine Bolton Council’s decision to order the five luxury homes to be torn down as they were bigger than the original planning permission allowed, and positioned in the wrong place.
READ MORE: Fate of doomed half-built Bolton luxury mansions to be decided
A council spokesman, said that the inquiry would examine the enforcement by Bolton Council.
They said: “The inquiry follows an appeal by Elendra Raja against the refusal of planning application and an enforcement notice issued by Bolton Council’s planning department
“The enforcement notice alleges that five dwellings and a garage building were built on the site without proper planning permission, along with alterations to land levels.
“The planning refusal was on green belt and landscape grounds.”
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