Paul Willis, 42, and Emma Woodley, 43, from Basingstoke, have been told to pull down a gym on their driveway after locals complained that they would need to park in the road
A couple have had to pull down a gym they built on their driveway after neighbours’ argued it meant they would have to park a car on the street.
Paul Willis, 42, and Emma Woodley, 43, from Basingstoke, are believed to have spent tens of thousands on the building which took up the space of one of their two parking spaces. But it left other residents unhappy who said that the road would be crowded with more parked cars. And councillors have now reportedly denied retrospective planning permission from the couple on the grounds that it would “set a precedent” – with other residents looking to do the same and reduce parking spaces.
The couple had argued that they do not park on the street and use nearby spaces which are not allocated. They also told how Mr Willis holds personal training classes at the gym and so its removal would mean a major loss of income.
Ms Woodley has reportedly called the decision by the council, that they must remove the gym and return the parking space within six months, as “ludicrous”.
Mr Willis is understood to have believed he could build the single storey gym without requiring permission at the couple’s £440,000 home in Basingstoke. But when building work began, a complaint was made to the council and it was at this point that the couple made a retrospective planning application.
Local Olivia Lucas, was one of the locals who objected, and she outlined in a letter: “As a resident… we already have parking issues with either cars parking fully on the road and other users being unable to get past, or parking on the pavements and pedestrians routinely putting themselves, children and dogs in danger having to walk out from a blind spot behind one of these cars.
“As this property has already been erected I have witnessed the danger that this owner is causing by parking their car on the road rather than on the driveway that once was (not to mention all of their clients’ [sic] cars on a Tuesday night).
“People turning into [the road] have to use up the full width of the road because they are unable to see the any oncoming traffic due to [their] car being parked on the road and therefore a head-on collision is inevitable at some point.”
In response Ms Woodley, reported the Mail, says that there is plenty of parking space available and claimed that they didn’t use both parking spaces before the gym was constructed. She also told a planning meeting that the gym was used for personal training sessions only seven hours a week with clients asked to park in unallocated spaces.
“It’s clearly evident when we walk around the estate, we have got people that have put sheds on their parking spaces,” said Ms Woodle. “Even caravans – what’s the difference between us and using it for a caravan? It just seems ludicrous.” Seven councillors are understood to have voted for the refusal of the application, one voted against and one abstained.