Neighbours at war after couple build huge ‘church-like’ window that ‘looks straight into’ bedroom of family next door
HOMEOWNERS are embroiled in a privacy row after a council allowed a huge ‘church-like’ window to be included in a neighbour’s extension.
The 10ft high first floor window of Mark Waddilove and Helen Fitt’s two-storey development now looks straight down into their neighbours‘ properties – though the couple have done nothing wrong legally.
Plans show it will be for the couple’s new master bedroom suite. Miss Fitt is said to have told neighbours in Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset, she plans to practice her yoga there.
But residents Rob and Margaret Langdown say they were blindsided by the development and have accused officials of failing to put up planning notices in their road ahead of granting it permission.
They say had they been aware of the proposals they would have objected on the grounds of it breaching their privacy and being out of keeping with the area.
Fellow residents Tim and Deborah James, who live next door, have complained that as well as overlooking their property, the development has blocked out sunlight into their back garden.
The Jameses also say Mr Waddilove and Miss Fitt have sent them hard-nosed legal letters about giving their builders access to their property while the work is carried out.
Both sets of homeowners have branded the extension a ‘monstrosity’ and fear it has reduced the value of their properties.
They have slammed Dorset Council for allowing it to go ahead.
The local authority says it stands by its decision to grant planning consent for the extension to the back of a semi-detached house in Harness Close in Colehill.
It is the second similar case where council planners have faced criticism over a controversial development that overlooks neighbouring homes in recent months.
In nearby Corfe Mullen Terry Selby has taken his case to the Local Government Ombudsman.
He and wife Margaret were shocked when permission was granted to replace their nextdoor neighbours’ bungalow with a two storey building that now towers over their home.
Mr Selby believes Dorset Council made a ‘massive mistake’ and partly blames the work from home culture for a lack of cohesion that led to the decision.
In Colehill, Mr Langdown, a church celebrant, also believes the council has made a mistake. He said: “We were not informed of this planning application.
“A notice went up in our cul-de-sac but not in the private lane where the three bungalows most directly affected by this extension are.
“They could have posted us a letter, there are only three houses. But we didn’t see the notice and didn’t have the chance to object and the next thing we have this bloody great big window looking straight at us.
“It looks like a church window that is twice the size of the one that was there and is now much further forward. It looks straight into our property.
“It is a monstrosity and not in keeping with the area at all.
“It is quite concerning to think that this has been passed without anybody being approached about it. It is going to devalue our property.”
The Colehill Parish Council did not object to the proposals but did express concern that local residents were not aware of them due to the lack of notices.
Next door neighbour Tim James, 63, said: “I’m not happy about it, it blocks our light out and the extension overlooks us, we have no privacy in our garden.
“It’s been an absolute nightmare from the start. We’ve had six months of continual hammering and drilling from eight in the morning since October and it’s making it a nightmare to live here.
“They were sending us letters about the agreement which were quite threatening saying you must sign this within X number of days.
“They said we had to let a surveyor who worked for them into our property otherwise if there were any cracks in our building we wouldn’t be able to claim anything.
“I’m not worried by their threats but it doesn’t make it a nice place to live.
“We have appealed against it the whole way through but nobody has taken a blind but of notice. The council doesn’t care.
“Living in a semi-detached house with all that going on every day is just ridiculous.”
Mr Waddilove, 62, and Ms Fitt declined to comment on the matter.
Mr Waddilove is company director of an IT solutions business and, according to his LinkedIn, works as a senior programme manager at Solent University in Southampton.
A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “The application was advertised by means of site notices erected by the case officer on September 8, 2022.
“This included a lamppost notice on Farriers Close, near to the entrance of the road. There was no suitable street furniture on which to erect a site notice closer to the properties in question.
“The case officer visited the site, and judged that the proposed new window would not overlook the complainants’ property any more than their previous window.
“We stand by our decision, but the neighbour is free to make a formal complaint, as we haven’t had any other complaints about this development to date. House values are not a material consideration when assessing planning applications.”
The spokesperson denied that working from home had any impact on the council’s decision making.
They said: “Flexible working from home arrangements in recent years have had no negative impact on our planning processes, including this application.
“Modern networking technology means officers can access the same information and tools at home as in the office. They work in the same capacity and to the same requirements as before, and still carry out site visits when needed and other due diligence regardless of where their desk-based work takes place.”
The Sun has contacted Dorset Council for further comment.
