A man who built a secret four-bedroom house and outbuildings in Gloucestershire must demolish it and clear the site, a planning inspector has ruled.

Builder Steve Turley was served last year with an enforcement notice from Forest of Dean District Council requiring demolition of the house at Yorkley Court Gate, near Lydney, but he appealed it.

His appeal has now been turned down with the exception of the hard standing he laid on the site. The planning inspector says that can stay but the building must come down.

A spokesman for the council said "Mr Steve Turley constructed a dwelling on the site and extended outbuildings without planning permission. He also sited a static caravan - for residential use - on the plot.

"Forest of Dean District Council served an enforcement notice in December 2017, instructing him to restore the site to its original condition before the planning breach took place, cease the use of the land for residential purposes, remove the static caravan, portable building and demolish the dwelling and concrete hard standings at the site.

"Mr Turley appealed the notice. While the Inspector acknowledged that the instruction to remove the hard standings was excessive, he upheld the council's other requests for demolition.

"The decision has been welcomed by the council."

Cllr Alan Grant, the council's cabinet member for planning policy issues, said: "I am very pleased that the inspector has endorsed the key elements in our enforcement notice.

"We have planning controls for a good reason and we will not hesitate to use our powers to address any planning breaches that come to our attention."

Cllr Philip Burford , the chair of the planning committee, said "Our enforcement officers work hard to ensure compliance with the relevant planning laws for the benefit of the community at large.

"This decision serves as a warning to anyone who decides to ignore the planning process and the message is clear: don't spend a considerable amount of money and time on a building project in the knowledge that it does not have planning permission."

Last year, Mr Turley sold a six-bedroom house at Yorkley Court Gate for £640,000, but then secretly began constructing his new home, a four bed bungalow, on a piece of land behind trees and bushes across the road.

He also placed a number of outhouses and portable cabins on the hidden site.

The development came to light, however, when neighbours complained to council chiefs about the bungalow.

Planning officers tried to visit the site in January this year but could not get access so returned in May after notifying Mr Turley by letter that they were coming.

Following that visit, the council reported "He has constructed a new four bedroom bungalow attached to the existing outbuildings within the last 18 months.

"It appears that he has sought to conceal this within the site.

"An aerial photograph taken in 2014 clearly shows that the bungalow did not exist at that time. Planning permission has not been granted for this building."

The land where the bungalow was built was once part of Yorkley Court Gatehouse, a six-bed family house with stunning views on the main road between Lydney and Yorkley.

In 2015 it was put on the market with no onward chain and subsequently sold - without the land on the opposite side of the road being included in the deal.

Mr Turley claimed the bungalow was permitted because it has been there for some time - but the council ruled it was unsustainable development without planning consent.

"The works are considered totally out of keeping with the existing rural character," the council stated.

Mr Turley has so far not commented on the latest decision ordering him to bulldoze the development and clear the site.