Dad building dream home hit with £60,000 bill after council ‘ghosts’ him

May 19, 2026 · 10:02 AM UTC ·8 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 27 views

#housing #local government #construction

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

A father in Portsmouth is facing a £61,832 bill after starting construction on his dream home based on verbal approval from the council. Graham Wrighton claims the council missed its deadline for formal planning consent, leaving him in a difficult financial situation. He had begun work to avoid losing his mortgage, believing he would qualify for an exemption from the charge.

Key facts

▪Graham Wrighton received a demand for £61,832 after starting work on his new home.
▪He alleges that Portsmouth City Council missed its own deadline for planning approval.
▪Wrighton would have qualified for an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy had the council granted permission as expected.

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Original publisher	The Independent
Canonical URL	https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/portsmouth-city-council-graham-wrighton-b2979293.html
Publication time	Tue, 19 May 2026 10:02:25 GMT
Retrieval time	2026-05-19T10:09:57.447Z
Last seen	2026-05-19T10:09:57.447Z
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Substitutes article?	No — link-out required for full text

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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

NewsUKHome NewsDad building dream home hit with £60,000 bill after council ‘ghosts’ himHis solicitor says the council’s move is ‘diabolical’Will Rogers Tuesday 19 May 2026 11:02 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2979293","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/portsmouth-city-council-graham-wrighton-b2979293.html","title":"Dad building dream home hit with £60,000 bill after council ‘ghosts’ him"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-22896","index":0}Graham Wrighton at his property in Drayton, Portsmouth (Ollie Thompson/Solent…

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