Couple slam 'monstrous' house as 'big as an Amazon warehouse' towering over home
A couple have moaned about their neighbour’s "monstrous" house that’s as "big as an Amazon warehouse" next to their bungalow.
Terry Selby and his wife Margaret have launched a complaint after the neighbouring property to their home, a derelict bungalow, has been demolished and replaced with a two-storey modern home in its place. The husband and wife claim that the new property will be too overbearing on their single-storey home despite council officers finding it fine and ruling it wouldn’t do so.
As often happens, other neighbours and the local town council also objected, claiming the property would be out of keeping with the bungalows in the cul-de-sac in Corfe Mullen, near Wimborne. However, the number of complaints has no bearing on the outcome of a decision and a planning assessment is made on its own terms, weighing up the benefits and harm of the proposal.
As such, council planners okayed the application, which was within the law, and now the property is almost built. Often in such applications planning officers complete a daylight sunlight assessment to judge if there would be a loss of light for neighbours and nearby properties.
But the couple claim they’ve managed to lose eight hours of sunlight a day - there is currently only around eight hours sunlight a day. They claimed they’ve had to change plants in the garden too.
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The planning officer concluded that the proposed new house was complied with the local development plan. And on top of that, despite the Selbies claims, that there was “no harmful overshadowing of the living accommodation”. They also said that the distance between the new house and the Selby’s bungalow would make sure it would “avoid an overbearing impact”.
The council approved the new property (GrahamHunt/BNPS)But the 80-year-old Mr Selby has complained to the Ombudsman and even gone as far as claiming that council staff working from home is behind the decision. He said: "Our case to the Ombudsman is that Dorset Council made a massive mistake in making this decision. Our argument is that they couldn't have looked at the plans properly, they just let it go through.”
He added that despite the council report finding it wouldn’t be overbearing “the opposite has come true”. He described it as “outrageous” and also claimed no notice was put up about the decision. The pensioner went on to allege that council staff working from home was apart of the problem, adding: "Staff working from home can't help matters and could be why they aren't in sync with each other and there is a lack of cohesion."
Until last summer, a small bungalow hidden behind a hedge had stood on the neighbouring plot of land. The elderly owner died in 2022 and the house was bought for £350,000 by Mark and Julie Mills who applied for planning permission to build a four bedroom modern home in its place. The chairman of the local council claimed the Selby’s weren’t NIMBYs and supported their complaints.
The council ruled the distance between the new house and the bungalow was fine (GrahamHunt/BNPS)A spokesperson for the council previously stated that the statutory 21-day consultation period for objections from when the application was lodged was followed. They said they took local concerns on board but granted planning permission due to the need for housing.
They said: "The application was considered against local and national planning policies taking into account all material considerations raised by neighbours and the town council. The application process followed all legislative and constitutional requirements.
"Officers judged that the revised extensions could be accommodated on the site and planning permission was granted. We have been in communication with Mr Selby to explain the council's position. The council will be monitoring compliance with the approved plans."
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