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<\/p>\nA FAMILY has been ordered to demolish a small bike shed they built for their kids during lockdown – or face legal action.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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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,\u00a0LeicestershireLive reports.<\/p>\n
They said because the family lives in a conservation area where planning restrictions are tighter, they would likely not have been granted permission.<\/p>\n
They have also been warned they could face enforcement action if they leave the shed standing.<\/p>\n
The couple are now battling to save the shed and more than 300 people have written to the council to support their retrospective application.<\/p>\n
Kavi told LeicestershireLive: \u201cWe put the shed up in September, when because of lockdown, cycling was about the only thing we could get out and do.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now know we should have applied for permission at the time – and we are doing that now – but we didn\u2019t just throw it up.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt wasn\u2019t cheap. We did our research.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found a sustainable eco-friendly shed which we think looks really good.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Kavi added: \u201cThere\u2019s a real disconnect between departments at the council. There\u2019s no joined up thinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t say \u2018We want people to cycle\u2019 but then say \u2018You can\u2019t safely store your bikes outside your home' "<\/p>\n
City councillor Lindsay Broadwell has urged people to support the family's cause. <\/p>\n
"Today in Leicester putting a bike shed in your garden is apparently a planning breach, according to the council," she said.<\/p>\n
"We simultaneously want to encourage cycling but want to make it hard for people to store their bikes safely?<\/p>\n
\u201cBut cars on-street is fine? You can write in support of the family and I encourage you to do so."<\/p>\n
A city council spokesperson said: \u201cThe householders have submitted a retrospective planning application regarding the bike shed, which will be considered in the usual way.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo recommendation has yet been made on the application.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n