Cliff Richard told to knock down extension

Cliff Richard has been ordered to knock down his £30,000 (€35,000) conservatory after his council decided it was too big and built without permission on a Green Belt site.

The 68-year-old singer must now demolish the extension to his home in Virginia Water, Surrey, which was only erected three years ago.

Runnymede Borough Council can take legal action if he does not comply with its request.

An enforcement notice to demolish the building was issued after Sir Cliff submitted a retrospective planning application for the 17ft by 13ft (5.2m by 4.2m) conservatory.

The council’s planning committee said permission for the building should be refused because it increased the property’s floor area by more than the 30% threshold.

This represented a “disproportionate addition” to the original building and was considered to be a “harmful development” to the Green Belt site.

The singer, who is estimated to have a £40m (€46.6m) fortune and has sold more than 260 million records, is expected to appeal the decision.

His publicist, Bill Latham, said the matter was a “private issue” and would soon be resolved.

Richard was today at Wimbledon watching the tennis and unavailable for comment.