A COUPLE say they’ve been forced to cough up £2,000 since their neighbour started building a monster mansion that towers over their property.
Terry and Margaret Selby have been locked in a bitter row with their neighbours and local council for months, after next door built what they compare to an “Amazon warehouse”.
The Dorset couple say the cube-like “monstrosity” looms over their home, and they’ve paid thousands to try to claw back their privacy.
Terry said they’d invested £2,000 in trees in the hope they will block their neighbours’ view after he claims the council “mistakenly” gave the build the green light.
The 80-year-old told The Sun: “It is not going to come down so we have got to do our best to try and hide it.
“At my age I needed trees that are fast growing and I was told that eucalyptus trees are the best for that.
“I have bought four 4.5metre eucalyptus trees which I am told will grow 4ft every year.
“It is to try and get the damn monstrosity covered up.”
The Selbys have been watching the monster £350,000 mansion next door slowly gets taller and taller after their new neighbours were granted planning permission.
It is replacing an old bungalow but Terry – and other neighbours – have slammed the Dorset Council for giving it the go-ahead.
The 80-year-old said the plans should have gone through a planning committee – and has now gone to the Ombudsman.
He says they’ve lost eight hours of sunlight a day – resulting in their much-loved plants dying – and the neighbour can look straight into their home.
Terry fumed: “I would not have had to spend anything at all had the council not allowed this to be built in the first place and I think it is only right they pay something towards it.
“But I’m sure they are going to say they have done nothing wrong on the basis it was a bungalow conversion that was there before and the new development has been built on its footprint.
“But there is a difference between a small apex roof coming just above our hedge to a monstrous warehouse building, which is the most ugly thing I have ever seen.
“The lady next door to us has spent £1,000 on trees as she is overlooked as well.
“The windows of it look straight into her bedroom and garden, her privacy is gone.”
Another neighbour, Andy Murphy, claimed the home looked out of the place in their area – and would be better suited to Sandbanks, which has been dubbed the ultra-exclusive millionaires’ row.
The 51-year-old also said he was feeling for Terry and Margaret, adding: “Look at all the other homes and roofs here and compare it to that development – it’s an absolute eyesore.
“At the beginning we called it the Amazon warehouse.
“Poor Terry and Margaret Selby have no light now and no privacy.
“I am in favour of sensible and reasonable development, so I’m not a NIMBY.
“But what they are doing doesn’t fit and it doesn’t look right.
“This is not Sandbanks or the Costa Del Whatever.”
Duncan Sowry-House, the chairman of the town council, said previously: “There appears to have been some faulty and inconsistent decision making by Dorset Council and in this case they are failing the community.”
But a spokesperson for Dorset Council said in response: “We have investigated Mr. Selby’s complaint, and found that no mistake was made by our planning team.
“The Local Government Ombudsman also appears to share this view, as they have chosen not to investigate the complaint.
“As a result, we do not consider the payment of any compensation to be necessary in this instance.”
The Sun has approached the council for further comment.
What are your rights in this situation?
If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighbourly issue by talking to your neighbour you can approach your local council.
Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health.
You could use a mediation service if raising the issue informally does not work, according to Gov.uk.
To complain all you need to do is contact your local council, many have a specialist team to deal with disputes of this nature.
One of the most common neighbourly issues is excessive or unreasonable noise levels.
In the event of an emergency, such as if your neighbour physically attacks you, always call 999.
As a last resort you can take legal action through the courts