A pair of neighbours on a millionaire’s row are battling it out to build the tallest house on the street.
John Yeoman, 70, and his wife Deborah, are planning to build a five-storey home in a luxurious neighbourhood overlooking the Sandbanks peninsula in Dorset.
Right next door is a four-storey mansion, and the pair are hoping to “reassert the hierarchy of built form within Elms Avenue” by building an even larger property.
The couple first moved to the area in 2001, when they purchased a £1.7million home at 54 Elms Avenue. They quickly knocked it down and replaced it with a three-storey home that is today worth £8.8million.
However, drama ensued when a new neighbour moved in in 2015, with plans to build a home that would outshine the Yeoman’s.
Jeremy Gardner, a company director, purchased 56 Elms Avenue for £2.8million. Like the Yeomans, he too demolished it and built in its place a luxurious mansion.
The move angered the couple so much that they declared themselves anti-development and unsuccessfully tried to contest the build. They complained that the new home would dwarf theirs and “ruin the skyline of Elms Avenue”.
Now, the couple plans to one-up Garender by knocking down their 20-year-old home and building a five-floor mansion in its place.
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The couple first moved to the area in 2001, when they purchased a £1.7million home at 54 Elms Avenue.
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The new property would boast a variety of impressive features, including a new indoor pool, a sauna, a home cinema, and a bar, to name a few.
Notably, the five bedroom mansion will be just a few inches taller than Gardner’s home.
The couple had hoped to build a six storey property, however, those plans were rejected last year.
Gardner has strongly opposed the plans: “The proposed development is absolutely huge, a five-storey block of more than 17,000 sq ft, with 17 car parking bays,” he said.“
That is 16 times the size of an average UK home, and considerably higher and larger than any of the other two, three and four storey waterfront houses along [the street].
“Whilst most residents would have no objections to a replacement family home, the sheer size of the proposed block is completely at odds with the other properties. The height should be reduced to four storeys.”
The luxurious neighbourhood overlooking the Sandbanks peninsula in Dorset
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The couple are now accusing Gardner of trying to stop their plans by “orchestrating an unashamed campaign of misinformation” against them.
The Yeoman’s planning agent Giles More has received multiple letters of objection from residents.
He claims the backlash was triggered by a flyer with Gardner produced and circulated around the area.
More said: “The flyer produced by the residents of 56 Elms Avenue is an unashamed attempt to provoke objections to the proposal.
“It is clear from the objections, which all follow a series of common themes, that the letters have been submitted in response to the lobbying campaign undertaken by 56 Elms Avenue.”
One resident, Carol Bishop, said: “This is a ridiculous size for a family home and has obviously been designed to convert into flats very easily. It is completely out of character for the area.”
David Lush, another neighbour, added: “It is not in keeping visually on either sea or land side, nor in keeping with the character of the area.”
