Here's everything that's wrong with our existing house, couple tell council

A couple have sent a portfolio of photographs of their home listing multiple reasons why they should be allowed to demolish it.  

The Lankesters want to move to a “bespoke contemporary sustainable 3-bedroom home” in the grounds. 

Once built, complete with triple garage and a separate block, they will knock their former home down.  

They have spared East Cambridgeshire District Council few details to support their claims that their home in Mildenhall Road, Littleport, is past its sell by date. 

Their agent told planners: “The main house has already suffered subsidence. 

“It was underpinned many years ago but there is evidence that this is failing in parts.” 

Windows are starting to fail; some can’t be shut easily once opened, the front door lets in the cold, and a downstairs room used as an office lets in the damp. 

A step to the outside has fallen away from the door due to the pathway sinking. 

The corner of the garage at the front of the house has needed extra support “as the ground just dropped away and the bricks nearby are failing”.  

And the garage and main house have an asbestos tiled roof, the garage roof is failing and flashing is falling off. 

"The ground front of the garage is also collapsing, and vehicle access is no longer possible,” says the report to the council. 

But that’s not all as the “thick concrete path in front of house has collapsed.  

“Cast iron guttering and downpipes failing. 

“The house is solid brick and so walls cannot be insulated without adding extra weight to the building. 

“Every door has a step to it so disabled access is not possible.” 

The dining room dining room window on the right is at an angle – indeed says the agent “the whole house is a bit like this and most windows slope to some degree 

“And where a crack (running diagonally down right to left from the window above) has been filled in the past because the corner of the building has dropped away”. 

The catalogue of horrors continues.  

Internally the dining room has approximately a 120mm difference in ceiling height from one side of the room to the other. 

“All the floors upstairs slope to some extent as does the utility room floor,” says the agent.  

“The exterior door to the utility room leaks and rain enters creating a puddle in the room.” 

Stairs have a narrow tread of 200mm , the landing banister is only 760mm high and the water supply is still fed by lead piping.  

“A draft blows in through the kitchen sockets if there is no plug in them,” says the agent. 

“The lounge door has bowed architrave; the door edge has already been packed out once by 10mm but a gap has appeared between the door edge and architrave again.” 

And the lounge wall/celling at the cornicing “cracked this winter, both sides for the full 4-meter width of the room”. The agent added: “There are plenty of other failures of internal fittings including dead boiler. 

“We have been advised parts of the central heating system would also need to be replaced.” 

Agents say the existing house will be demolished after the construction and occupation of the new house.  

“The intention is to have a striking contemporary house design,” they add. 

The current house was built in the first half of the last century with some later single storey extensions.  

"The building is in a poor state of repair, subsidence has occurred at several places, notably to the corner of the garage,” says the agent. 

Due to the possible flood risk the ground floor of the new house will be set at a raised level of 0.095m “which is similar to the adjacent road level and approx. 2m above the lower ground/field level”. 

The proposed new home will consist of “highly insulated timber frame with composite insulated metal roof panels”. The main source of heating will be by MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery). 

It will be supplemented by passive solar heating and solar PV panels located on the roof.