A pensioner whose sinking house needs critical repairs says a council blunder has caused months of anxiety and cost him thousands of pounds.

Timothy Carpenter, 79, was told by planning officers he did not require listed building consent to underpin his 19th-century home in Herne Bay, which is suffering from subsidence.

But just three days before the work was due to start, and having already moved his belongings into storage, Canterbury City Council staff admitted a mistake had been made.

The authority told Mr Carpenter special consent was in fact required and that carrying out the repairs without it would be an offence that “could lead to a prison sentence”.

Now, eight months after the council’s original error, cracks continue to appear in the Grade II-listed house as the project remains in limbo.

“I couldn’t understand why they were threatening me with a criminal prosecution when all I wanted was for my home to be repaired,” Mr Carpenter said.

“I had already paid for my household effects to go into storage, and I had to move out to alternative accommodation.

“That was over 140 days ago, and yet I am not a day nearer starting to repair my home - I feel like the council just don’t care.”

Mr Carpenter had been told in March that listed building consent was not required to strengthen the terraced building’s foundations, so the work was booked to start on July 1.

But the council’s intervention on June 28 - understood to be following a complaint - forced him to submit a planning application for the project, with the documents explaining how the subsidence is causing “structural damage that requires a major repair job”.

Mr Carpenter has since noticed further movement in the Canterbury Road house, forcing contractors to secure part of the building with steel support props.

He is desperate to start the repairs, but the council says it has not received all the necessary documentation - something Mr Carpenter disputes.

“How can they do this when I have abided by everything requested?” he added.

“I feel that due to my age, I am being dismissed - almost in the hope that I will die and the problem will go away, but it won’t.

“By doing nothing it makes my home worthless and it will fall into ruin, which is exactly the opposite of what I am trying to do.

“I want to maintain the historic fabric and integrity of my house, not die leaving a worthless pile of bricks for my family to pick up the pieces.”

Mr Carpenter’s desire to protect the property lawfully was supported by the architect leading the project, James Walters, who wrote to the city council after the work was halted in June.

“You will be aware from the many historical planning/listed building applications we have submitted on behalf of Mr Carpenter; he is very much a person who wants to do things correctly and at no point has tried to carry out any unlawful works at this property,” he wrote.

“I would argue the Conservation Department are very lucky to have Mr Carpenter inhabiting this property as he has great ambition to provide the TLC it greatly requires.”

A council spokesperson said the authority was sorry to hear of Mr Carpenter’s concerns and is “looking into what happened”.

“He submitted an application to us for consent to underpin his property, which forms part of a listed building,” they explained.

“Underpinning a listed building is major structural work.

“A report from a structural engineer was provided with the application, but we have asked for more information to understand what effect the works may have on the remainder of the listed building.

“This information is also required to ensure that other properties within the building will not be negatively impacted by the works.

“We can confirm we are yet to receive this information.”