Pillar of the community! Man is stunned to open his door to see council workers erecting free-standing column in his driveway before billing him £8,000 for the privilege

Résumé détaillé

Steve McCormack, 69, from north London, was shocked when he received a knock on the door on November 5 to find workers building the structure in front of his house.

Published: 15:12 GMT, 14 November 2026 | Updated: 15:13 GMT, 14 November 2026

A man is outraged after council workers erected a free-standing column in his driveway without permission – before charging him £8,000 for the privilege.

Steve McCormack, 69, from north London, was shocked when he received a knock on the door on November 5 to find workers building the structure in front of his house.

It came after Brent Council found he and his neighbours had breached guidelines by repaving their driveway without planning permission in 2019.

The homes are located in the Mapesbury Conservation Area which has strict rules in place to ensure any new development adheres to the area's character.

And after an inspection, planning officers determined Mr McCormack's new driveway was in breach of these guidelines because there was not enough soft landscaping and it was more than three metres wide.

He was told to submit a retrospective planning application but this was also denied.

Mr McCormack claims when the Edwardian house was split into four flats in the 1980s, the driveway was widened to accommodate two parking spaces.

Despite the widened driveway having been in use for the past 40 years, Brent Council argued that the gap was now too large and issued an enforcement notice against the property in August 2021.

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