A FAMILY has been ordered to demolish a small bike shed they built for their kids during lockdown – or face legal action.
Kavi and Mita Pujara say they are in a 'David vs Goliath' battle with Leicester City Council over the small structure they put up outside their home to keep their bikes safe.
Council officials wrote to them in February telling them they should not have built the bespoke timber shed – which has a sedum grass roof – without seeking planning permission, LeicestershireLive reports.
They said because the family lives in a conservation area where planning restrictions are tighter, they would likely not have been granted permission.
They have also been warned they could face enforcement action if they leave the shed standing.
The couple are now battling to save the shed and more than 300 people have written to the council to support their retrospective application.
Kavi told LeicestershireLive: “We put the shed up in September, when because of lockdown, cycling was about the only thing we could get out and do.
“We now know we should have applied for permission at the time – and we are doing that now – but we didn’t just throw it up.
“It wasn’t cheap. We did our research.
“We found a sustainable eco-friendly shed which we think looks really good.
“The council is giving out mixed messages – on the one hand saying it wants to encourage environmentally friendly transport while then threatening people over their bike storage.”
The Pujaras say the storage shed – which they want to camouflage with ivy – is the only way they and their kids Milan, 12, and ten-year-old Anamika – can realistically get their bikes from their home to the street.
Kavi added: “There’s a real disconnect between departments at the council. There’s no joined up thinking.
“You can’t say ‘We want people to cycle’ but then say ‘You can’t safely store your bikes outside your home' "
City councillor Lindsay Broadwell has urged people to support the family's cause.
"Today in Leicester putting a bike shed in your garden is apparently a planning breach, according to the council," she said.
"We simultaneously want to encourage cycling but want to make it hard for people to store their bikes safely?
“But cars on-street is fine? You can write in support of the family and I encourage you to do so."
A city council spokesperson said: “The householders have submitted a retrospective planning application regarding the bike shed, which will be considered in the usual way.
“No recommendation has yet been made on the application.”
The family has also written to Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and his deputy mayor Adam Clarke asking them to intervene to allow the shed to remain.
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