Graham Wildin, 73, spent more than a decade fighting to preserve his illegal 10,000sq/ft leisure complex in Cinderford and even served jail time over it – now he claims neighbours are making prank calls
A millionaire who lost a decade-long fight to preserve Britain’s ‘biggest man cave’ has found himself caught up in a fresh dispute with neighbours – after claiming they have been plaguing him with hoax calls during the night.
Graham Wildin, 73, spent more than 10 years battling to keep his unlawful 10,000sq/ft leisure complex – and has even been imprisoned over it. The dispute started in 2014 when he constructed the ‘man cave’ featuring a bowling alley, casino and cinema at the rear of his property – without planning permission.
Forest of Dean District Council began demolishing it in June last year – and drone photographs show it now looks like a ‘concrete car park’. The complex had stood behind his residence in Cinderford, Gloucestershire and at one point boasted luxurious squash courts, soft play area and bowling alley.
While local residents said they were thrilled to finally witness its removal – the extent of the bitterness has emerged in new planning documents. In an application to approve a noise management plan at the Airbnb he now runs on the site, representatives of Wildin declined to publish a personal number for neighbours to report violations.
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It instead stated: “Local residents are already aware of the owners’ place of work, Wildin & Co. The relevant contact telephone number and email address are provided within the Noise Management Plan.
“The email address is accessible by all owners on their mobile phones, including weekends. The owners are not willing to provide personal mobile telephone numbers to neighbours due to previous issues with prank calls received at unreasonable hours, which are believed to have originated from some neighbours and which the police have been unwilling to pursue.”
The noise management plan received approval last month – fulfilling a planning requirement for converting the site into a holiday let.
Representatives of Wildin added: “A noise monitoring system has been installed at the property and will alert the owners immediately should noise levels exceed agreed thresholds. The owners consider that the combination of this system, together with the provision of a work contact telephone number and email address, provides a suitable, proportionate, and effective method of managing and responding to noise-related issues.”
Amongst the conditions imposed on guests are a prohibition on using the outdoor hot tub between 11pm and 7am and any other ‘excessive noise’ during those hours. Local residents reported that matters had got better since the man-cave was demolished.
One commented: “It has all gone very quiet. He [Graham] has his moments but keeps himself to himself – there’s no noise or trouble from the holiday home. The main trouble was back when there were loads of vehicles on the road.”
Construction activity on the road adjacent to the mancave was still underway this week and another resident said they were thrilled to see it removed. They said: “It was about time and I think everyone down the bottom are very happy it has gone.”
A further neighbour commented: “I don’t know anything about any prank calls to him but that probably shows just how much he upset people here. He thought he could keep throwing money at it and get away with it. But there’s nothing left now – so what did he really achieve?”
Mr Wildin declined to respond to requests for comment regarding the prank calls, though the earlier demolition brought a conclusive end to a protracted battle to preserve the structure. Forest of Dean District Council had previously confirmed it would be seeking costs from Mr Wildin.
Mr Wildin first took steps to build a leisure complex in the back garden of one of two neighbouring properties he owned at Meendhurst Road in November 2013, prompting a member of the public to lodge a complaint with Forest of Dean District Council.
Shortly after building work commenced, several council officers informed Wildin that the proposed structure did not constitute ‘permitted development’ and would require full planning permission. Following a succession of warnings, in November 2018 the council secured an injunction against Wildin, giving him until 25 April 2020 to tear down the leisure facility.
In legal proceedings initiated by Forest of Dean District Council in June 2022, Wildin was found to be in contempt of court for failing to comply with the injunction. The judge handed him a six-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, on the condition that the building be permanently stripped and decommissioned within 18 weeks. Wildin subsequently lodged an appeal against the ruling.
The appeal was thrown out, and he was given until 10th March 2022 to comply with the Order to carry out the necessary work, or face imprisonment. Once again, he failed to comply with the injunction and was handed a six-week prison sentence in August 2022.
In March 2023, Wildin appealed against the custodial sentence, which was also dismissed. The most recent deadline for Wildin to comply with the injunction expired in early January 2023.
