Housewife Choel Hawkins has penned a letter to Fenland Council urging them not to make her landlord tear down her home.

Mrs Hawkins lives in one of two houses built at 55 The Chase, Leverington Road, Wisbech that are now subject to a retrospective planning application.

The houses were being built as part of a larger scheme that did have consent but was invalidated when construction began before planning conditions had been met.

“A few weeks ago our landlord Nicholas Baines made us aware that should the planning on this site not be accepted there is a possibility we lose our home,” wrote Mrs Hawkins.

“As you can imagine this has made my husband and I extremely anxious and the future for ourselves and our five children is completely unknown.

“This just doesn’t affect our home; this affects every aspect of our children’s lives.”

She added: “My husband, four children and I moved into a new build on the same plot as the proposed planning in 2015. Our children attend the local primary school and nursery. They are also members of several clubs within a few miles of our homes. We welcomed =our fifth child in November 2016 and are thrilled to have completed our family.

“We are fully aware just how hard it is to find a home for large families such as ours and it is so refreshing to see someone like Nicholas improving the area with a small number of executive homes rather than a large number of high density affordable homes.”

Mrs Hawkins said after speaking with neighbours “it is clear that Nicholas went off his own back to meet the wishes of the local residents which they are clearly very grateful for.

“As a community we are incredibly excited to see the project complete which I have no doubt will improve the area as well as providing high quality housing.”

Opinions on the application – for the two homes and for the larger scheme of 11 homes also now going back through the planning process.

One neighbour questions the history of the site “and certainly in the 1930s, 40s and 50s it was a refuse tip used by among others the local authority and it is well known that scrap vehicles and industrial waste were deposited there; that is why the centre of the site has sunk”.

Richard Stott of Leverington House is supporting both applications telling Mr Baines “I don’t like to stand in the way of entrepreneurs, so you have my blessing.”