Captain Tom’s daughter ordered to pull down luxury spa in garden after losing appeal

Captain Tom’s family were ordered to remove a luxury spa built in their backyard lose an appeal.

Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin applied in 2021 for permission to build a Captain Tom Foundation Building on the unused tennis courts at his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.

The L-shaped building was given the green light, but the the planning authority refuses a subsequent retrospective application in 2022 for a larger C-shaped building containing a thermal pool.

Central Bedfordshire Council later served notice of execution demanding the demolition of the “now unauthorized building” – but the family appealed and a hearing was held last month.

Now, the Planning Inspectorate has published its decision, dismissing the appeal, which means that the family has three months to remove the facility. Inspector Diane Fleming said the size of the partially built spa had “resulted in damage” to the family’s home, a Grade II listed building.

The case drew national attention as a result controversy over spending money raised by the Captain Tom Foundation, which received more than £1 million in donations in its first year after opening in 2020.

It was established after Captain Tom, who served in the Second World War, raised almost £40 million for the NHS from walking 100 times of the garden of the family house before his 100th birthday during the national Covid lockdown.

Last year, The independent revealed that £54,039 was paid by the foundation to two companies run by Mrs Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin.

And this year Ms. Ingram-Moore admitted keeping £800,000 from three books the army veteran had writtendespite the prologue of one of them suggesting that the money was going charity.

The foundation is set to be closed amid an ongoing investigation into his finances by the Charity Commission, according to a family representative.

Work began on the foundation building in the family home in December 2021 – but the following month, the local council discovered including an additional wing to the one agreed as part of the approval for the development.

The council then rejected the family’s retrospective application for the unauthorized part of the building that included the spa, and ordered it to be removed.

At the planning appeal hearing attended by Mrs Ingram-Moore last month, chartered surveyor James Paynter, for the family, said the scheme had “evolved” to include the thermal pool which could be used for offers rehabilitation sessions for the elderly in the area.

“They felt that this extra member to create a C form was necessary to create this facility,” he said.

But Richard Procter, head of the planning team for Central Bedfordshire Council, said no information had been provided to the council about the use of the spa for the initial approved planning application.

Several neighbors attended the hearing, with one arguing that the building is “49% bigger than what was agreed” and was closed to his property, adding: “It’s very brutal.”

In her written decision on the appeal, Ms Fleming said: “In summary, it has not been shown that there is unacceptable damage to the character and appearance of the area or local residents, as to their life conditions in terms of perspective, subject to the imposition of suitable conditions.

“However, the scale and mass of the building has resulted in damage to the Old Rectory which it seems to me that the suggested conditions have not been overcome.”

In an emotional interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV which aired last month, Ms Ingram-Moore said she had ‘gone’ building a £1.2 million spa and pool complex at his home. “We have to accept that we made a decision, and it was probably the wrong one,” he said.

Captain Tom, that was knighted by the late queen during a unique outdoor ceremony at Windsor Castle in the summer of 2020, died in February 2021.

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