Planners order demolition of pool building at Captain Tom's daughter's home in Bedfordshire

The daughter of fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore has been ordered to demolish a spa pool built in her garden after plans for the unauthorised building were thrown out by planners.

Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin applied in 2021 for permission to build a Captain Tom Foundation Building in the grounds of their home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.

They said the L-shaped building would be used partly “in connection with The Captain Tom Foundation and its charitable objectives”.

Planners gave permission but a subsequent retrospective application in 2022, for a larger C-shaped building containing a spa pool, was refused by the planning authority.

In supporting documents, it was described as “a new building for use by the occupiers” of the home of Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore.

In a design and access and heritage statement, it was referred to as The Captain Tom Building.

Sir Tom raised £38.9 million for the NHS, including Gift Aid, by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday at the height of the first national Covid-19 lockdown in April 2020.

He was knighted by the late Queen and died in February 2021.

Last year the charity watchdog opened a probe into the charity launched in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore - after identifying fresh "concerns" about his family's involvement.

The Captain Tom charity has stopped accepting donations while the inquiry is underway.

A spokesperson for Central Bedfordshire Council, the planning authority for the area, said on Tuesday that it received a planning application in August 2021 for the erection of a detached single storey building by the occupiers of the home of the Ingram-Moores and the Captain Tom Foundation.

It said this was approved.

In 2022, planners subsequently received a retrospective planning application for a “part retrospective erection of detached single-storey building (revised proposals)”, which was refused, the spokesperson said.

The council spokesperson said: “An enforcement notice requiring the demolition of the now-unauthorised building was issued and this is now subject to an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.”

The PA news agency said it had approached Hannah Ingram-Moore for comment.

The Captain Tom Foundation said, in a statement to a national newspaper: “At no time were The Captain Tom Foundation’s independent trustees aware of planning permissions made by Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore purporting to be in the foundation’s name.

“Had they been aware of any applications, the independent trustees would not have authorised them.”

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