The owner of a 19th century house in a protected conservation area has been slapped with a record-breaking fine, after bulldozing his home without permission.

John Johnson, 50, was ordered to pay £80,000 for the demolition of 6 Trafalgar Road – in Twickenham’s Trafalgar Road Conservation Area – along with £42,500 toward Richmond Council’s court costs, when he appeared at Kingston Crown Court this week.

The fine is the highest imposed for demolishing of a building in a conservation area in UK history.

The court heard how neighbours had been left “angered and frightened” when on January 7, 2011, the entire house, which dates back to 1845, was bulldozed to the ground without any notice.

Gary Grant, prosecuting on behalf of Richmond Council, revealed Johnson’s neighbour Lucy Grothier had been in bed recovering from an operation when she awoke “to what felt like an earthquake”.

Johnson, a financier and rental property investor currently living in rented accommodation, bought the house in Trafalgar Road – made up of semi-detached late regency villas – in 2007 for £1.05m.

He was granted permission from the council in June 2010 to build a two-storey side and rear extension and basement to his house, which involved partial demolition to parts of the building.

However, Johnson admitted he had been “grossly negligent” in failing to apply for the correct consent needed to demolish the house.

Mr Grant said: “Mr Johnson did not apply for the necessary Conservation Area Consent to permit the total demolition of the house.

“Nor, surprisingly, did Mr Johnson even ask Richmond Council planning officers what permission or consents he required before totally demolishing the house.”

Despite stressing his intention was always to rebuild the house to its original appearance, it was revealed the financial benefit to Johnson in rebuilding the house from scratch rather than refurbishing and extending as he was granted permission to do so, was predicted to be £109,320.

In mitigation, David Travers said: “Mr Johnson plainly is aware of the distress and anxiety these proceeds have brought not only on himself but on his wife.

“He’s aware he now has a criminal conviction. He has been told about considerable cost to which he can expect and will have to pay and he has now the burden of having lost the good relationship with many, not all, but many of the neighbours.”

The homeowner pleaded guilty to a charge of demolishing a property without conservation area consent.

On sentencing, Judge Paul Dodgeson said: “The harm you caused is both emotional and physical. The distress you’ve caused to your neighbours has been obvious by their presence in court today.”

He admitted in a few years a rebuilt house would be “difficult if not impossible” for a casual observer to determine it was not a 200 year old building but, added “nothing will be able to alter the fact that what is there is a replica”.

Councillor Virginia Morris, the council’s cabinet member for environment and planning, said: “I hope that this will now demonstrate to residents and other developers in the borough that planning regulations need to be taken very seriously and cannot be disregarded or disrespected.”