A father-of-two who built a shed in his back garden was stunned when he was told to pull it down or apply for planning permission.

Mark Mosley built the six by four foot wooden shed at the back of his home in School Street, Clayton, for his five-year-old son, Sebastian, and daughter Amy, six, to use as a playroom.

But the 41-year-old student discovered his home was part of a development governed by a special condition that nothing could be built in the gardens without planning permission.

He was shocked to receive a letter from Bradford Council telling him to apply for planning permission or pull down the shed.

"It did not occur to me at all that I needed planing permission to build a shed," said Mr Mosley. "I can't believe the Council has gone to so much trouble over such a small issue. The Council charges £110 to put in a planning application.

"When I looked at the property I asked the builder if it would be all right to put a shed in the garden and he said there wouldn't be a problem.

"Had I been building an extension I would have thought about planning permission but I had no idea it was needed for a shed."

A Council spokesman said planning permission was not usually needed to build a shed but Mr Mosley's home was one of five new homes built in the street at the end of last year, governed by a special clause in the original planning contract.

He added: "The houses at School Street were built under planning conditions which require written permission from the Council before any extension to the house or building in the garden can be built. This restriction was imposed to protect the setting and surroundings of a nearby Grade II listed building, Clayton Village Primary School. The original school was built in 1860 and decorated in a gothic style.

"Residents of School Street who wish to make external changes to their houses should check first with the Council's planning office to find out if written permission is required."

But Mr Mosley insisted that neither his solicitor nor the builders who constructed his house were aware of the special clause.

Mr Mosley, who is studying History of Art and Design, feared Bradford Council would charge him to apply for planning permission but it has agreed to waive the usual fee because of the special restrictions on his home.