Poor, poor Peter Broderick. The 72-year-old retiree decided to replace his old, wooden door with a newer one and found himself face to face with a $32,500 fine for the breaching conservation laws in his community in Stockport, England. Apparently the door—nearly identical to the old one, save for an "offending six inch long pane of glass" up top—had a "significant adverse effect" and "undermined" the historic personality of the house. One council member admitted that the new door was probably safer than the old one—seeing as it's not rotted and all—but "the same or greater level of security could have been provided by other means such as installing electric devices or by strengthening or repairing the original door even if it was damp or warped." Ultimately, Broderick opted to buy a $650 door that conforms to the council's building codes, on top of the illegal $1,000 door he was forced to toss. "I could not risk being fined £20,000 so I had to change the door back, but it is ridiculous," he said.
· Pensioner faces £20,000 fine after losing 18-month battle with council after installing 'wrong type' of white front door [Daily Mail]
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