A council has been accused of costing a house seller £2million after they told him he wouldn't be allowed to demolish his home – only to then grant the new owner permission to do so.
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he → accuse → permission
Stephen Bailey put his late parents' harbourside home on Sandbanks, Dorset, up for sale two years ago after he and his three sisters inherited it.
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he → put → it
Mr Bailey, 70, put the large detached house on the market for £8million thinking it would be straightforward for the buyer to get planning permission to knock it down and build their dream home in its place.
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buyer → put → place
After all, most of the neighbours have done the same, including former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp and wife Sandra who live next door.
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who → do → Redknapp
Mr Bailey said he submitted a pre-application advice request to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council seeking assurance that the new owner would be allowed to bulldoze the arts and crafts-style house.
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owner → say → house
But he said the response from planning officials was that permission was unlikely to be granted because the 115-year-old property is in the Sandbanks Conservation Area.
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property → say → Area
Crucially, he claims potential buyers were given the same message which put them off making offers.
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which → claim → offers
Stephen Bailey, 70, put his late parents' harbourside home on Sandbanks, Dorset, up for sale two years ago after he and his three sisters inherited it
Mr Bailey has accused the council of costing him £2million after they told him he wouldn't be allowed to demolish his home before granting the new owner permission to do so
After two years with no sale, Mr Bailey reduced the asking price of the six-bedroom house which eventually sold for £5.7million in February.
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which → put → February
But within a few months of moving in new owners David and Heidi Nash submitted their own application to demolish the house and replace it with a modern mansion.
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Nash → move → mansion
Although the council's heritage officer objected, the planning department overruled them.
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department → object → them
This is the same department Mr Bailey claims told him the house could not be lost, yet they granted the Nashes permission.
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they → claim → permission
Mr Bailey said: 'How two-faced of them.
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Bailey → say → them
That has absolutely cost us between £1million and £2million.
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That → cost → 1million
'The offers we got when buyers thought they could get planning permission were much higher than what we ended up selling it for.
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we → get → it
We did a pre-application advice request and the council told us that it should be fine to demolish it.
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it → do → it
'After the Redknapps next door, ours was the only house in that area that hadn't been rebuilt.
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that → rebuild → area
But they later came back and said it wouldn't be granted because it is in a Conservation Area.
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it → come → Area
We would have got between £7million to £8million for it, but in the end we accepted under £6million.
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we → get → 6million
I just feel resigned to it.
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I → feel → it
They let people who have enough money do what they like but make it as hard as possible for the older residents.'
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it → let → residents
In reaching her decision, council planning officer Claire Moir said that most other houses in the Conservation Area had been demolished so losing one more wouldn't make a difference.
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losing → reach → difference
She said: 'The Conservation Area relates specifically to a small number of buildings which contribute to its character and have a positive impact.
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which → say → impact
The proposals relate specifically to the loss of one of these properties identified as contributing to this character.
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proposals → relate → character
Like most waterfront properties on the exclusive peninsula, the plots of land are generally more valuable than the houses actually on them
Mr Bailey is furious at the council, who he accused of being 'two-faced' after they rejected his planning proposals
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they → accuse → proposals
It is noted that many of the original buildings have been altered or replaced, some with more modern forms of architecture.
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many → note → architecture
To date, it is estimated that over 50 per cent of the original buildings have been replaced or extensively re-built and extended to the harbour edge.
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cent → estimate → edge
As such the character of this part of Panorama Road and the shoreline have evolved significantly and the character has changed dramatically with regard to the built form.
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character → evolve → form
The neighbouring modern property [the Redknapps] was recently replaced with an Italian-style villa, as the modern house it replaced had no heritage status.
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it → replace → status
It is considered therefore that given the buildings which have already been approved or altered... the loss of this building would not result in harm to the significance of the heritage asset and would be acceptable.'
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loss → consider → asset
The Nashes's planning agents, Pure Town Planning, boasted on social media: 'We're delighted to have secured planning permission for a stunning replacement family home.
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We → boast → home
The existing 1911 property sits within the Sandbanks Conservation Area, and the proposal faced strong heritage objections.
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proposal → exist → objections
'But with a clear strategy, robust evidence and an exceptional project team, we successfully navigated the challenges — securing approval at the first time of asking.'
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we → navigate → time
BCP Council said they were unable to comment on the matter.
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they → say → matter
Mr Bailey and his sisters inherited the three-storey property from their late parents who had lived there since 1949.
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who → inherit → 1949
Before them the property belonged to Mr Bailey's grandfather, the camping tycoon Oswald Bailey.
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property → belong → grandfather
The Aporia
