Appeal against refusal to demolish Mole Man’s mansion

An appeal has been lodged to demolish the dilapidated house of notorious Mole Man tunneller, after Hackney Council’s planning team refused planning permission to develop the site.

The application to build a pair of four-storey houses - one five-bedroom and one four-bedroom- at the junction of Mortimer Road and Stamford Road was submitted by Andrew Fraser, who claims to be acting as administrator for the heirs of William Lyttle.

The eccentric oddball gained worldwide fame after he spent 40 years digging a 60-foot network of tunnels beneath his �1 million house before he died last June, owing over �400,000 to the council, which saved the building from collapse.

Fraser’s previous application to demolish the house and build a block of eight flats was also rejected by council planning officers last November.

Council officers said the demolition “would result in the loss of a building of local townscape merit, which is a heritage asset and makes a positive contribution to the special historic character of the De Beauvoir Conservation Area.”

The final decision will now lie with the Planning Inspectorate.