A 70-year-old man was left fuming after he was ordered by his local council to tear down his £16,000 (19,700) shed.

Graham Cadman built the shed after he allegedly approached a Birmingham City Council officer for permission six years ago.

He said he was told the structure would be allowed “as long as the structure had no windows and no doors and was no higher than four meters.”

But now, Graham is being ordered to tear down the shed or face enforcement action from his local council.

According to Birmingham Live, Graham said he was inspired to construct the shed after two previous shelters he had built had blown away.

When a neighbor sent a photo of his building to the council in 2018, Graham was told by an officer to submit a planning application for retrospective permission for the structure.

The 70-year-old did what he was told but the application was rejected in 2019. In the notice, the Birmingham City Council claimed that the shelter breached two elements of its Birmingham Development Plan 2018 and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Graham, who runs the Lindridge Pool fishery, failed to appeal the decision, and a second appeal over the enforcement action was rejected in 2020.

“The use described goes beyond supporting fishermen by providing shelter in poor weather. In addition, the structure appears to provide a social facility where both fishing and non-fishing people interact,” an inspector in the second appeal claimed.

“The information before me indicates that use for fishing is not the sole use and there is limited information before me to indicate why the structure is the size that it is. The structure is not therefore an appropriate facility for outdoor recreation or sport,” the inspector continued.

Only weeks ago, an enforcement officer approached Graham and told him that he only had one month to remove the shed.

“All this has been blown up out of proportion. I still think I don’t need planning permission as that’s what I had been told,” the 70-year-old said.

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