A FUMING dad who snapped up a dilapidated £13.5million bungalow has seen his plans to rebuild the “death trap” thwarted.
Tom Glanfield knew North Haven Point, located on ‘Millionaire’s Row’ in Dorset’s Sandbanks, would require renovations when he bought it in March 2023.
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However, the 46-year-old wasn’t expecting just how much work needed to be done after discovering it was crumbling inside.
The Sandbanks property, dubbed ‘the UK’s most expensive’, occupies a 1.4 acre corner plot and is by far the biggest piece of real estate on the Millionaires’ Row.
But, recruitment boss Tom admitted previously how the house “relies on obscene amounts of oil”, is covered in mould, and has a cracked concrete driveway.
And, he added that it bares outdated cork ceiling tiles in the kitchen and a disintegrating tidal wall outside.
A rickety five-bar gate and a tumbledown garage also blight the home’s exterior, as well as a “death trap” concrete swimming pool.
The dad-of-two planned to demolish the property and start again – but his dreams of building the perfect family home have been squashed.
Tom told the Mailonline: “Some people have said it would be a shame to replace the property, but they probably haven’t inspected it too closely.
‘”Some people have told me they are glad it has been purchased by a local person and not a developer.”
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The entrepreneur, who lives in Poole, insisted he would never wish to construct anything which “detracts from the natural beauty of the area”.
He also added the current state of the house “does not meet modern building standards”.
“My dream is to build a permanent family home that will stand the test of time, using sustainable building methods, locally sourced materials, and calling on local tradesmen to carry out the building work,” he continued.
But, council officials informed Tom the property lies in a conservation area, and has been nominated to be on the local heritage list, giving it the status of a non-designated heritage asset (NDHA).
Planning permission to knock down the disintegrating house was refused by Bournemouth and Poole council last week.
Despite Tom’s idea to create and eco-home and invest millions into the area, the authorities blocked it on the grounds it would “jar” against other Edwardian properties in the area.
In a conservation report, officer Kalina Kuteva wrote: “The proposed replacement dwelling would be of a rather generic contemporary design, with its large expanses of glazing, concrete elements, vertical timber-effect as well as stone cladding and flat roof, resulting in a ‘boxy’ appearance.”
She added the design “would not respect the character” of the area.
The proposed plans had shown a five bedroom home, open plan kitchen, dining area, living space, office and entertainment area, including bar.
A master suite would have boasted a jacuzzi bath with sea views, balcony and private dressing room.
In the basement, Tom’s architect had planned for a home cinema and gym.
The only part of his designs the council didn’t object to was the rebuild of the harbour wall at the bottom of the garden.
Architect Laurie Marlow, said: “It is our opinion that the plot itself is a positive contributor to the Conservation Area, and the existing bungalow is very much secondary to this, having nothing remarkable about its value other than the plot in which it sits.”
He argued “muted natural materials” in the plans would be a better fit that “stark white” bungalows already in the area.
Meanwhile, Tom’s neighbours are not opposed to his plans and have joined together to support the desperate property owner.
One wrote: “I think a large contemporary house using modern materials would be a much better utilisation of the huge amount of space available at this location.”
Another added the new designs would be something “that Sandbanks/Poole/Dorset and the UK for that matter should be extremely proud of.”
In addition, someone else said it was “good to see a well thought through contemporary house” that would “fit sensitively into the surrounding landscape.”
Others believed the proposed mansion would “compliment the neighbourhood”.
Tom added that the existing structure is “uneconomical and environmentally unfriendly”, while he would create a “fully sustainable, environmentally friendly, carbon neutral home”.
“The area has got a lot of superhomes but I am not that kind of guy,” he continued.
“I am pleased that I bought it and not another property developer who is going to build another modern, three storey superhome that will cost £10,000 a month to run.”
The bungalow has been dubbed the “world’s most expensive home” and was owned by same family for 117 years before it was sold to Tom.
Known as North Haven Point, the chalet bungalow was extended in the 1950s and has a floor space of just 2,909sq ft.
It’s £13.5m price tag equates to an eye-watering £4,640 per square foot.
And, the home’s per-square-foot cost humbly thrashes the value of luxury properties in Monaco, Hong Kong and New York.
The ground floor boasts a living room, dining room and kitchen, utility rooms, store room, pantry and office.
And the first floor, which was extended in the 1950s, has the master en-suite bedroom, a guest bedroom suite and two more bedrooms.
Entrepreneur Tom made his millions after sleeping on an office floor and washing in toilet cubicles to save every penny while launching a recruitment firm from his mate’s attic.
He borrowed £9,000 on credit cards and took out a student loan and had quickly built up a client base big enough to get a small workspace in London.
“I realised I needed to give the impression that my company was well established, so I began playing a cassette recorder of loud office noise on loop in the background,” he said previously.
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“I renamed my company LHi Group to make it sound more familiar and perhaps give the illusion that it was larger than it actually was.”
His company now employs 450 people across Europe and the US.
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