Millionaire fined for illegal 'Footballers' Wives' house remodelling

A millionaire who refashioned his grade II listed home in “Footballers' Wives” style without planning permission has been fined at Cardiff crown court.

The fine was limited to £40,000 so that businessman Andrew Hazell could afford the £450,000 of repairs ordered by a previous hearing to be made to the house at Shirenewton near Chepstow.

He had undertaken £750,000 of alterations to the £2m house after ignoring architects' advice to get planning permission, listed building consent and building regulations approval.

The judge described earlier press comparisons of the remodelling work to homes in the programme Footballers' Wives as “not inapt”.

Hazell began altering the six-bedroom house in 2005 after buying it a year earlier. Works included demolition of part of the 250-year-old house and construction of a large swimming pool and garage.

Period features including six-panel doors, moulded architraves, plaster cornices, tall sash windows and marble fireplaces were all ripped out.

Judge David Wynn Morgan told Hazell: “When the press got hold of your story they described your treatment of one of the loveliest old houses in that part of Monmouthshire as if it were a property in the Footballers' Wives television series.

“It would be patronising of the court to endorse that judgment but having seen what was planned I am bound to say the comparison is not inapt.”

Hazell was also given a six-month extension on the original order, made in March, to restore the property to its original state within seven months. Restoration work has yet to start.

The judge added: “Features that were intended to improve had been added without consideration or sympathy, rather like painting a moustache on an old master or adding a drum and bass track to music written by Mozart.”