A millionaire who lost a decade-long battle to preserve Britain’s ‘biggest man cave’ is now embroiled in a fresh dispute, accusing neighbours of making prank calls in the middle of the night. Graham Wildin, 73, spent over ten years fighting to keep his 10,000-square-foot leisure complex, which included a bowling alley, casino, and cinema. However, the complex was built without proper planning permission in 2014, leading to a lengthy legal battle with the Forest of Dean District Council.
Demolition began in June last year, and drone images now show the site resembles a ‘concrete car park.’ Local residents expressed relief at its removal, and fresh planning documents reveal the depth of resentment. In an application to approve a noise management plan for the Airbnb Mr Wildin now operates on the site, his representatives refused to provide a personal contact number for neighbours to report breaches, citing ‘prank calls’ received at unreasonable hours. The representatives stated: ‘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.’
To address the issue, a noise monitoring system has been installed to alert the owners if noise levels exceed agreed thresholds. Guests at the Airbnb are prohibited from making ‘excessive noise’ between 11pm and 7am and from using the outdoor hot tub during those hours. Building work on the road adjacent to the flattened man cave continued this week, and neighbours expressed satisfaction with its removal. One 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?’
The Forest of Dean District Council previously confirmed that Mr Wildin would be required to pay for the demolition of the personal leisure centre. The dispute began in 2013 when Mr Wildin started constructing the complex in the back garden of one of two adjacent houses he owned on Meendhurst Road. A member of the public filed a complaint, and council officers soon informed Mr Wildin that the building was not a ‘permitted development’ and required planning permission. In November 2018, the council obtained an injunction, giving him until April 25, 2020, to demolish the structure. Mr Wildin failed to comply, and in June 2022, he was found in contempt of court and sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, on condition that the building be permanently stripped and decommissioned within 18 weeks. He appealed the decision, but the appeal was dismissed, and he was given until March 10, 2022, to comply. Again, he did not comply, leading to a six-week prison sentence in August 2022. In March 2023, his appeal against the prison sentence was also dismissed.
