Captain Tom's daughter ordered to demolish spa and pool complex at £1.2m home - as foundation stops taking donations
4 July 2023, 19:24 | Updated: 4 July 2023, 21:55
The family of Captain Tom Moore have been ordered to remove their spa and pool complex after being accused of using the Second World War veteran's name to construct it at their home.
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Captain Tom's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and husband Colin submitted a planning bid for an office for the charity set up in the fundraiser's name.
While the couple used their names in the planning application, they used the charity's name in the statements they submitted over heritage, and design and access.
But planning chiefs have now ordered that an unauthorised building in Captain Tom's daughter's home be demolished after plans were rejected.
A spokesperson for Central Bedfordshire Council said: "An enforcement notice requiring the demolition of the now-unauthorised building was issued and this is now subject to an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate."
The charity's trustees previously said: "At no time were The Captain Tom Foundation's independent trustees aware of planning permissions made by Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore purporting to be in the foundation's name.
"Had they been aware of any applications, the independent trustees would not have authorised them."
They said they were not seeking any further funding from donors amid the ongoing probe.
"We have also taken the decision to close all payment channels whilst the Statutory Inquiry remains open," they said.
"Once the findings of the Statutory Inquiry have been communicated, The Captain Tom Foundation will be in a better position to make a decision in relation to its future, but for now, our main priority is to assist the Charity Commission with its enquiry."
The couple said they needed space "urgently" for presentations and memorabilia, and got permission for an annex but not the spa.
They made an application to build an L-shaped building next to their home in Bedfordshire, but instead constructed a 'C-shaped' pool house with changing rooms, showers and toilets.
They declined to speak to The Sun at their seven-bedroom home.
Captain Tom became a household name as he walked laps of the Bedfordshire home during the coronavirus lockdown and raised millions for NHS Charities Together.
He was later knighted but died after contracting coronavirus in early 2021.
The Charity Commission is already looking into after "concerns about the charity's management, including about the charity's independence from the family of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore and businesses connected to them".
The £38m raised by Captain Tom for NHS Charities Together is not being investigated.
