Court backs town hall chief over alterations to his listed £2.7m home

The leader of Westminster council has escaped prosecution for unauthorised alterations to his 17th century home and the case thrown out of court.

Colin Barrow faced a possible fine of thousands of pounds after being charged with affecting the architectural and historical interest of Darsham House in Suffolk, his former £2.7million house.

But at Ipswich crown court, Judge David Goodin ruled the action against Mr Barrow, by Suffolk Coastal district council, was an abuse of process. He threw out all nine charges.

The case is thought to have cost taxpayers up to £250,000. Mr Barrow, a former Suffolk county councillor, accused the district council of trying to make an example of him. He said: "The council wanted to show it is serious about housing enforcement by taking a big scalp.

"The whole thing has been a terrible waste of time and money. It is a great relief as this has been a two-year battle, but it is saddening this took place."

Mr Barrow had been accused of "seriously eroding" the character of the 18-bedroom house, between Saxmundham and Southwold, when he renovated it more than three years ago. He put in recessed lighting, changed light switches and used the wrong sort of glaze on replacement windows.

The Conservative council boss said the upgrade cost "hundreds of thousands of pounds", involving rewiring, plastering and opening attic rooms. Mr Barrow sold the property in 2006 but last year planning chiefs held an inquiry and claimed he had breached listed building regulations.

Judge Goodin said eight of the offences should be dealt with by enforcement notices, meaning Mr Barrow, his ex-wife Angelica Barrow and project manager Elizabeth Wilson-Smith had no case to answer.

The new owners have until next year to make the alterations the council requires. The council said: "We are still looking at what the judge had to say and will not comment until we have considered the implications."