Council Gives Permission to Demolish Captain Tom’s Daughter’s Home Spa

Central Bedfordshire Council has given permission to demolish the home spa of Hannah Ingram-Moore, the daughter of Captain Sir Tom Moore. The spa received an enforcement notice issued by the council in July 2022.

They initially received planning permission for the building in August 2021. Others have said that the spa was a relatively minor infringement and that the demolition is unnecessary.

Ingram-Moore and her husband, Colin, had applied for planning permission to build a “Captain Tom Foundation Building” on the grounds of their home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire. The building was to be used partly for the foundation’s charitable activities, but it also included a spa pool and other amenities for the couple’s personal use.

Captain Tom Moore was a British Army officer and fundraiser who became a national hero in 2020 when he raised over £38 million for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his garden in the run-up to his 100th birthday.

Moore died on February 2, 2021, at the age of 100. He was a national hero who will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and determination.

The council’s planning committee rejected the application in November 2022, saying that the building would be “out of character” with the surrounding area. The committee also said that the spa pool would be “inappropriate” for a building that was supposed to be used for charitable purposes.

Ingram-Moore and her husband appealed the decision to the Planning Inspectorate, but the inspector upheld the council’s decision in March 2023. The couple then had the option to appeal to the High Court, but they decided not to do so.

With the appeal process exhausted, the council has now issued a demolition notice requiring the spa to be torn down. The notice gives Ingram-Moore and her husband until July 25, 2023 to comply.

If the spa is not demolished by the deadline, the council could take enforcement action, which could include fines or even imprisonment.

Whatever the case may be, the demolition of the spa is a reminder of the controversy that has surrounded Captain Tom Moore’s legacy in recent years. Moore, who died in February 2021, was a national hero who raised millions of pounds for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, his legacy has been tarnished by allegations of financial mismanagement at the Captain Tom Foundation.

The plans for the spa were never made public, but they were described in a Design & Access and Heritage Statement submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council. The statement said that the spa would include a 50ft by 20ft pool house complete with changing rooms, toilets and showers. It also said that the spa would be used for “private use” by Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband, Colin.