THE 'man cave' at the centre of long-running planning dispute is to be demolished, followed by moves to recover the estimated £750,000 bill from the owner.

Graham Wildin inside the leisure centre he has built for himself and his family in his back garden (file pic) See SWNS story SWBRcave; A man ordered to knock down 'Britain's best man cave' which he built illegally in his back garden has been told to pay £30,000 to the council to cover its prosecution costs. Graham Wildin, 66, spent four years battling with authorities over the private leisure complex. It contains a bowling alley, cinema, casino and a gym - and pictures from Google Earth show it looking like a massive factory. But a High Court judge said the granddad-of-five must comply with the council and remove the centre.
Graham Wildin built a ‘man cave’ in his back garden ( SWNS.com)

The Forest Council secured the site in Meendhurst Road, Cinderford, on Friday (May 31) and the building will be knocked down over the next six to eight weeks.

The leisure centre was started in the back garden of two adjacent houses then owned by accountant Graham Wildin in November 2013, and includes a cinema, casino and bowling alley.

FILE PICTURE - Graham Wildin inside the leisure centre he has built for himself and his family in his back garden. Neighbours of a millionaire who illegally built 'Britain's best man cave' are furious - claiming a massive indoor swimming pool has now been built in the family's garden. See SWNS story SWBRpool. New aerial photos above Graham Wildin's home show a new building - which locals say started appearing late last year. Accountant Wildin, 69, has already been ordered to tear down his extensive 'man cave' by a council - but still refuses to do so. Documents show he has transferred the ownership of two adjacent properties to a company run by his kids. And now in the back garden of one of them a large building has appeared - which locals say is an indoor pool. There appears to be inflatable toys piled on the decking outside. Drone images show the new building stands alongside the controversial illegal complex that includes a cinema, squash court and bowling alley. It is unclear whether he needed planning permission for the latest expansion as some pools are deemed 'permitted developments' depending on the scale. However, no applications appear to have been submitted by Forest Dean Council in relation to it. A council spokesperson said they couldn't comment due to the ongoing legal proceedings.
Graham Wildin in the ‘man cave’ (SWNS)

That prompted a complaint to the council which led to a long-runnning legal dispute which saw Mr Wildin jailed for contempt of court.

The latest deadline for Mr Wildin to take down the building passed in January.

Since then, “in the absence of compliance”, council officers have progressed to the next stage of enforcement action.

“As a council it is our duty to ensure that planning and development proposals comply with the law and bring benefit to the local area, whilst also safeguarding the community,” said a council spokesperson.

“Hundreds of people every year follow the correct process for planning applications and development, sadly this has not been the case at this location. 

“It is important to note that the cost of this process should not be borne by the taxpayer, and we will look to recover the full cost of the demolition from the landowner in due course. 

Graham Wildin inside the leisure centre he has built for himself and his family in his back garden (file pic) See SWNS story SWBRcave; A man ordered to knock down 'Britain's best man cave' which he built illegally in his back garden has been told to pay £30,000 to the council to cover its prosecution costs. Graham Wildin, 66, spent four years battling with authorities over the private leisure complex. It contains a bowling alley, cinema, casino and a gym - and pictures from Google Earth show it looking like a massive factory. But a High Court judge said the granddad-of-five must comply with the council and remove the centre.
The ‘man cave’ includes a cinema ( SWNS.com)

“We will work closely with our demolition contractor, to limit any disruption for residents. We would like to also take this opportunity to thank the people living in close proximity to this property for their patience during this lengthy legal process.”

Following the complaint, Mr Wildin was told the 10,000sq ft building was not 'permitted development' and needed planning permission.

Following a series of warnings, in November 2018 the council obtained an injunction against the businessman, and he was given until April 25 2020 to demolish the leisure building. 

In legal proceedings brought by Forest of Dean District Council in June 2022, he was found in contempt of court for not complying with the injunction. 

The judge sentenced him to six weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, on the condition that the building be permanently stripped and decommissioned within 18 weeks. 

An appeal by Mr Wildin was dismissed, and he was given until March 10 2022 to comply with the order to complete the required work, if he was to avoid prison. 

Again, he did not comply with the injunction and was sentenced to six-weeks imprisonment in August 2022. 

In March 2023 he appealed against the prison sentence which was also dismissed.