A property developer’s plan to bulldoze a £1million family home less than 25 years after it was built has been branded ‘sacrilege’ by furious neighbours.
The ‘beautiful’ family home could be reduced to rubble to make way for two four-bedroom £1.25million properties, according to a recent planning application.
The application to demolish what would be many people’s dream home has angered local residents and councillors.
Councillor Marion le Poidevin said: ‘It would be sacrilege to demolish a house like this. It is a very characterful and elegant house and is definitely an asset to the area.
‘From an environmental point of view it seems criminal to demolish what is a perfectly habitable house. Will any of the materials be recycled into the new hoses?’
The property, in the posh Canford Cliffs suburb of Poole, Dorset, was built in 1998 and is close to the millionaire’s row of Sandbanks.
There is a drastic shortage of high-end houses on the local property market at the moment and the lack of supply is driving prices up by £100,000 a month.
Substantial houses with big gardens built in the 1980s and ’90s are now being targeted by developers keen to cram two or three modern and expensive homes on the same plot.
The ‘beautiful’ family home (pictured) could be reduced to rubble to make way for two four-bedroom £1.25million properties, according to a recent planning application
The property (pictured), in the posh Canford Cliffs suburb of Poole, Dorset, was built in 1998 and is close to the millionaire’s row of Sandbanks
The larger house would be demolished and replaced with two narrower but longer properties that eat into the garden space
Critics say it would be a shameful waste to destroy a house that, with its Italianate pillars and wrought iron balcony, contributes to the appearance of the upmarket area.
Locals are also concerned the new development will see four trees felled, even though they should be protected by Tree Preservation Orders.
Despite the young age of the property and the fact the Monterey Cypress trees enjoy protected status, planning officials at the local authority are recommending the application is approved.
Colleague Stephen Bartlett said: ‘The existing building is very attractive and contributes to the area. I think the loss of the property would really be a shame.
An artist’s impression of what one of the two four-bedroom houses set to be built on the plot will look like after completion
The homes would feature a garage with room for one car and an open-plan kitchen, dining and family room to the rear
Locals are also concerned the new development will see four trees (pictured behind the house) felled, even though they should be protected by Tree Preservation Orders
Peter Norrie, left, with neighbour Christopher Cotterell. Mr Norrie, a 63-year-old retired banker, described the scheme as ‘madness and ludicrous’
‘It is a beautiful setting and I think the two replacement properties will be an over-development of the site.’
Neighbour Peter Norrie, a 63-year-old retired banker, described the scheme as ‘madness and ludicrous’.
He said: ‘This development just doesn’t make any sense at all, it is madness. It is just a ridiculous planning development of two matchbox houses next to each other.’
Mr Norrie said it was wrong for BCP Council to allow the felling of the row of protected trees to the rear of the house.
The council’s arboricultural officer said the specimens are in poor health and have between 10 to 20 years of life left.
But Mr Norrie pointed to an application by the homeowner last year to prune back the same trees and nothing was mentioned then about them being in poor health.
The controversial application has split members of the council’s planning committee.
Mr Norrie said it was wrong for BCP Council to allow the felling of the row of protected trees to the rear of the house
The planning application has been made by Poole-based Charlew Developments. In a statement, they said: ‘The proposal introduces a high quality contemporary style design but with a traditional form, which creates two striking detached dwellings’
Cllr Toby Johnson said that while the house was ‘absolutely gorgeous’ and was a property that ‘most of us would love to live in’, it wasn’t a listed building or in a conservation area and the owner could do what they liked with it.
Adrian Dunford, of local estate agents Tailor Made, said due to a lack of building plots in the area relatively modern houses were being picked off by developers.
He said: ‘We are seeing a lot of houses that were built in the 1980s being pulled down because the houses are on good sized plots and sit in the middle of the plot.
‘Houses today are being put up in pairs or three and they tend to be narrower but longer and eat into the garden.
‘Homeowners today aren’t necessarily looking for a large garden they have to maintain. They just need a bit of garden or terrace where they can sit out in the sun.’
The planning application has been made by Poole-based Charlew Developments.
In a statement, they said: ‘The proposal introduces a high quality contemporary style design but with a traditional form, which creates two striking detached dwellings.’
They added the two properties will make a positive contribution to the build and natural environment.
BCP Council’s planning committee were split on the application to demolish the house and have deferred the decision to carry out more research.