Millionaire accountant, 66, battles to save Britain’s most luxurious ‘mancave’

A millionaire battled in court today to save Britain’s most luxurious ‘mancave’ – and defied an order by planning chiefs to demolish it.

Accountant Graham Wildin, 66, is fighting to keep his personal 10,000 sq ft leisure centre in the back garden of his six-bedroomed mansion.

It comes complete with bowling alley, 16-seat cinema, squash courts, bar and private casino – plus a 25ft three storey doll’s house and soft play for his visiting grandchildren.

Graham Wildin (pictured), 66 and from Gloucestershire, built his own leisure centre in the back garden of his six-bedroom home in Cinderford. Despite being told by planners to tear it down, he’s refusing to budge

Mr Wildin’s (pictured) leisure centre comes complete with a bowling alley, 16-seat cinema, squash courts, bar and private casino – plus a 25ft three storey doll’s house and soft play for his visiting grandchildren

But planners say he must tear down his £200,000-plus mancave built without ever getting planning permission.

Defiant Mr Wildin has ignored notices to demolish the underground complex – and is in court to challenge an injunction forcing him to trash his pride-and-joy.

Locals were outraged when he built the leisure centre by sinking it 18-feet into his garden.

But the grandfather-of-five claimed he thought he did not need permission when he started construction but council officials said the expensive project breached planning laws.

Planners at the Forest of Dean District Council in Gloucestershire said the bulky structure was totally out of scale and proportion with the surrounding area.

And they said the noise from the centre was a major disruption in the quiet country town of Cinderford.

The bowling alley at Mr Wildin’s private leisure centre – built in the back garden of his own home. He appeared at the High Court in Cardiff today to argue that he should be allowed to keep the centre

Mr Wildin began building the luxury complex (pictured) in 2013 and finished the following year. He claims to have taken careful notice of planning laws.

They issued an enforcement notice ordering the millionaire to bulldoze the leisure centre at his home by July 7 last year.

At the High Court in Cardiff today Mr Wildin claimed planners had blundered by designating the centre a two-storey building – and making that one of the reasons for demolition.

He said: ‘It has mezzanine levels above the main building but in my view it should still be described as single-storey. The planning office do not know the rules.’

He claimed the height of the complex should not have mattered when describing it as a single-storey – and said: ‘Look at the 525 feet high Nasa Space Centre in America which is single-storey.’

Principal planning officer Stephen Colgate denied a suggestion by Mr Wildin that they had been responsible for an anonymous letter complaining about the noise from the centre.

Mr Colgate told the court: ‘Our advice was that the building has two floors and that was one of the reasons for not giving planning permission.’

Mr Wildin began building the luxury complex in 2013 and finished the following year.

He said he took careful notice of planning laws and was taking advantage of a loophole which allows him to construct the building.

The hearing, expected to last two days, is continuing.  

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