An architect-designed house in central north Oxford has taken four years, three planning applications and an appeal to complete.

Owners Chris Smith and his wife Joanna spent £230,000 building The Garden House in the grounds of their 1930s home where they have lived for seven years. The two-bedroom property, which is tucked away behind surrounding properties, is accessed from Sunderland Avenue.

Mr Smith said: “We thought it would be very cool to build our own house and were planning to live there.”

But the process took so long that the couple now have two young children and it is too small for them.

Mr Smith added: “We did an outline application for a four-bedroom house but that was refused by the planning people and the neighbours got in touch to protest. They were worried about being overlooked, so we decided to go for a single-storey building. We had been told we had no chance of getting planning permission but the architects were brilliant.

“And when we were on the verge of giving up, it was our planning consultant who persuaded us to carry on.

“He pointed out we had only been refused on one minor thing to do with parking and eventually we won planning permission.”

Mr Smith has renovated more than 20 properties in Oxfordshire but this is his first new build.

The Garden House includes a kitchen/dining room, sitting room, study and two bedrooms, both ensuite. There is also a detached outbuilding which can be used as a garden room.

The Garden House is on the market for £595,000. For more information, contact agents Chancellors on 01865 516161 or visit chancellors.co.uk