Deadline for Captain Tom's family to lodge spa appeal passes

Capt Sir Tom Moore became famous for his fundraising efforts during the first coronavirus lockdown

The deadline for Capt Sir Tom Moore's family to lodge a High Court appeal to save their spa complex has passed.

The unauthorised building in the grounds of his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore's Bedfordshire home was ordered to be taken down by the local council.

The family had six weeks to apply for a judicial review, but the Planning Inspectorate has yet to confirm whether such an application has been received.

The BBC has approached Ms Ingram-Moore for a comment.

The spa (the C-shaped building to the right of the pond) was constructed in the grounds of the home where Capt Sir Tom Moore had lived

First plans for the building used The Captain Tom Foundation name, but revised plans for the partially-built complex, which included a spa pool, toilets and a kitchen "for private use" were later refused.

If the family has not submitted a further appeal, they must comply with the existing demolition order and the spa must come down by 7 February.

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Capt Sir Tom raised more than £38m for NHS Charities Together at the start of the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden.

After becoming a national figure and being knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, he died in February 2021 aged 100.

His family set up a charity named The Captain Tom Foundation, which is currently subject to an inquiry by the Charity Commission amid concerns his family may have profited from using his name.

Planning permission was first granted by Central Bedfordshire Council for a building on the grounds of The Old Rectory, the Grade II-listed family home, in August 2021.

Hannah Ingram-Moore attended the Planning Inspectorate hearing alongside her husband and son

Revised plans were then submitted in February 2022. These were, however, turned down by the council and Capt Sir Tom's family appealed the decision.

During the hearing, representatives for the family said the spa pool would offer "rehabilitation sessions" and the building would enable the public to enjoy the celebrated fundraiser's work.

However, planning inspector Diane Fleming said the "scale and massing" of the complex had "resulted in harm" to The Old Rectory.

Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband asked for 12 months to comply with the demolition notice, but this request was refused by the Planning Inspectorate.

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