NEIGHBOURS of a seafront home compared to an “alien spaceship” say the owners suddenly built it with “no warning”.
The house on Sunnyside Road in Sandgate, Kent, featured on Channel Four’s Extraordinary Extensions – which saw owners Tracey and Phil say they want to turn it into a Miami-style beach home.
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The couple told presenter Tinie Tempah they had poured funds earmarked for their wedding into the property, which remains unfinished.
But neighbours have slammed the incomplete house – saying the owners, and Folkestone & Hythe District Council, have not taken into account their views when approving planning permission.
Glenn Ensor, 60, who has lived in his Sandgate home with his wife since 1995, told The Sun: “I’ve been quoted saying that it looks like an alien spaceship. That was me, and perhaps I was being a bit dramatic – but look at it. It’s certainly not in keeping with the area.
“Our main beef is with the way they went about it – they didn’t consult anybody.
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“By the time we received drawings from the architect it was already a done deal. It already had council approval.
“That was the first time that anyone in what you would call the affected area received any notification of the scale of the works.
“We had previous notification of an amendment to the roof but then all of a sudden this was happening.
“We didn’t receive written notification when we were required to by law.”
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Before work began the home was a 1960s white bungalow, but in 2019 the couple applied for planning permission to turn their home into a “Miami Vice” style pad.
Included in the work were balcony changes, a revised roof design and an increase on the ridge height.
My council house was falling apart so I gave it a glow-up on a budget – people are so impressed with the transformation
Nicola South, who lives nearby with her daughter and dog, said the dispute over the black-and-silver property had “broken” the tight-knit community on the street.
The local mum said: “The owners tried to get me removed from the parish council for having a view. Speaking just as a resident, the whole thing is an absolute shambles.
“They said that they put up signage on lampposts but we didn’t receive any letters.
“We need to build more houses in this country – but what is being built here is not in keeping with the area and also is not going to help first-time buyers.
“We used to have street parties – it was such a nice street. Real sense of community.
“And now we don’t because the street has been broken by the development there and their architect’s house which is on the other side.
“They’ve broken the street. There’s construction on one side and on the other. We are held hostage. It’s not a good place to live at the moment.
HOUSE ‘RUINED THE STREET’
“It was such a happy street – and then this happened. It’s the unpleasant way they went about it. We never had an issue with them but to not be consulted.
“We don’t own a view. We don’t have a right to it. But we do have a right to light and privacy – and my mum lives on Castle Bay and they are right up against it when those bungalows are in the back.
“The house defines the street. The council have said they have apologised but we haven’t received an apology from them.
“You can even see where the camera crew put up pieces of white material at the bottom as the furniture was put in, and then it all came out.
“I’m quite angry about it.”
Margaret and Edward Shevlane, who have been living in Sandgate for decades, said they also felt angry about the property.
Retired languages teacher Margaret, 73, added: “When they moved in we went around to talk to them and chatted to them a bit.
“But it’s just ended up being something much bigger and its ended up being a monstrosity.
“It means you feel antagonistic towards the people.
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“The two things on the programme that really bugged me more than anything was the fact they admitted that they didn’t think that they would get planning permission when they seem like they have geared their applications to get it despite there being opposition they knew about.
“And the other is that on the show it was made to look better and then the other stuff has blown off and it looks a lot worse than it did on the programme.
“Our neighbour had her house on the market and this started happening and she had to sell for £25k less than the asking price.
“There’s a lot of exposed wood and it’s right on the seafront. It’s a long way from being finished and it doesn’t look that secure either.”
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, claimed the Channel 4 show did a lot of work to make the house look presentable to viewers.
They pointed out that glass on the balconies was held together by wood – and that some of the panes had already cracked in the weather.
The neighbour said they believe wooden frames with panels attached to them were put up in order to make the property look finished.
They also claimed metal strips that run around the controversial house were painted silver by a rolling brush to pass as aluminium strips.
And the concerned local believes the furniture shown on the programme belonged to the architect – and that it was promptly removed after the show was recorded.
They described the version of the property shown at the end of the programme as a “sham”.
It’s not the first time angry neighbors have spoke out after becoming angry with changes to their local area.
A Folkestone and Hythe District Council spokesperson said the application in 2020 was advertised with a notice placed very close to the site of the home and also advertised in a local newspaper.
The spokesperson added: “Unfortunately, due to a technical error, notification letters to neighbouring properties are not believed to have been sent out.
“We have apologised to the local residents affected by this, and our process for notifying neighbours has been amended so this omission is not repeated.”
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And, former Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon was told by neighbours that endless building work on his mansion was ruining their lives.
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