Planners have refused to grant permission to a man wanting to build a gym in the back garden of a house in High Wycombe.

Shakil Raja was told that his plans for 53 Priory Avenue, a ‘house in multiple occupation’ (HMO), could not be justified.

Planners said they were ‘not satisfied’ on the evidence given to them that the proposed outbuilding ‘would be incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse’, given that the property is licensed as an HMO until 2027.

They wrote to the applicant: “A gym is not considered reasonably required for the enjoyment of an HMO, and no robust justification has been provided by the applicant to the contrary.

“Likewise, no justification has been given as to why a gym could not be accommodated within the existing buildings within the site.”

Proposed floorplans showed a 7 metre by 3.5 metre building with side facing windows, rear facing French doors and a side facing pedestrian door.

Mr Raja’s application to the council was for a certificate of lawfulness to create the structure in the rear garden of the three storey, semi-detached property, so it could be used as a gym.

A case officer noted that when the property was visited in July this year, it was found that an existing outbuilding was already present in the back garden, which ‘was not shown on the submitted drawings’.