Angry: Nicola Beadle is pictured stood on steps leading up to a balcony which her and husband Jamie spent more than £5,000 erecting. They have now been told to take it down by Medway Council...
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A couple who spent more than £5,000 building a balcony on their home have been ordered to take it down after complaints that it invaded a former Bishop's privacy.
Jamie Beadle, 44, had spent months fitting the decking at the home he shares with his wife Nicola, 38, and their three children in Chatham, Kent.
But Mr Beadle has now been told to take the 10ft high balcony down by Medway Council after a retrospective planning application was refused.
Objection: The Beadles applied for retrospective planning permission for the 10ft high balcony, but it was refused following an objection by former Archbishop of Rochester Dr Michael Nazir-Ali
The only formal complaint was lodged by next-door neighbours Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, 63, the 106th Bishop of Rochester until he stepped down in 2009, and his wife Valerie, 66.
The former Bishop complained despite having spent almost £1,500 extending his own fence so the decking does not overlook his conservatory.
In a letter to Medway Council, the Nazir-Alis said: 'We have serious concerns for the loss of privacy to our home and garden, with potential attendant security concerns and we fear these may additionally have implications for the value of our property.'
Medway Council planning officers recommended for the proposal to be accepted, but councillors unanimously denied planning permission for the decking.
Mr Beadle claims that he was in contact with the local authority regularly over the development.
Councillor Adrian Gulvin said: 'I wouldn't like it next to me. It's totally over the top,' while his Conservative colleague Councillor David Carr added: 'My God, what's it going to look like when it's got screening on?'
No comment: The former Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, who objected to Mr and Mrs Beadle's balcony on their Kent home...
The Beadles, who both work for insurance firm Lloyds of London, said today they were 'shocked' by the reaction and said they never wanted to break the rules.
Mr Beadle, who has lodged a complaint against Medway Council, said: 'When the planning officer came round I said "is this going to be a problem?" and they said it would probably be more of a box-ticking exercise.
'That was six months ago and it's dragged on since then.
'I feel quite strongly that every citizen has an equal right to fair treatment, and in this case I feel I have not been treated equally.'
He added: 'We need safe access from the door at the rear of the house. I'm not trying to build a supermarket on a bit of green field.
'I'm just replacing some dangerous landscaping and making it safe.'
Mrs Beadle said: 'We just wanted to make a good family home. We have no interest in looking over the fence at them whatsoever.
Medway Council planning officers had recommended the retrospective plans be approved, but ward Councillor Trevor Clarke, a Churches Together in Medway columnist, who has publicly supported the bishop on other issues, referred the application to the planning committee as part of standard planning rules.
The plans were then unanimously rejected by 15 councillors at a planning meeting.
Neighbours: Former Bishop of Rochester Dr Michael Nazir-Ali's home in Chatham, with Jamie and Nicola Beadle's home in the background
Speaking after the meeting ward member Councillor Trevor Clarke, a conservative, denied there was any conflict of interest.
He said: 'I was rather surprised that there was a recommendation of approval from the planning officers. It did look a bit over-the-top to me.'I make very robust recommendations and the committee don't always listen to me.
'There's no conflict of interest in the sense that I didn't get a say in the decision.
'It's a coincidence that they happen to have been people I've met before.'
Dr Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, was the first non-white diocesan bishop in the Church of England and was once mooted as a possible Archbishop of Canterbury.
He received death threats after claiming parts of Britain had become 'no-go' areas for non-Muslims during his tenure in Rochester from 1994 to 2009.
He is now the president of the Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue, which aims to support Christians in parts of the world experiencing religious tension.
The Beadles plan to appeal the decision. The Nazir-Alis declined to comment.
Speaking after the meeting ward member Councillor Trevor Clarke, a conservative, denied there was any conflict of interest.
He said: 'I was rather surprised that there was a recommendation of approval from the planning officers. It did look a bit over-the-top to me.'I make very robust recommendations and the committee don't always listen to me.
'There's no conflict of interest in the sense that I didn't get a say in the decision.
'It's a coincidence that they happen to have been people I've met before.'
Dr Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, was the first non-white diocesan bishop in the Church of England and was once mooted as a possible Archbishop of Canterbury.
He received death threats after claiming parts of Britain had become 'no-go' areas for non-Muslims during his tenure in Rochester from 1994 to 2009.
He is now the president of the Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue, which aims to support Christians in parts of the world experiencing religious tension.
The Beadles plan to appeal the decision. The Nazir-Alis declined to comment.
Culled from The Daily Mail UK.
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