Neighbors furious as 'alien spaceship' was built next door without warning

Neighbors of a seaside home compared it to an 'alien spaceship' say its owners suddenly built it without warning.

The house on Sunnyside Road in Sandgate, Kent, was featured on Channel Four's Extraordinary Extensions – with owners Tracey and Phil saying they wanted to turn it into a Miami-style beach house.

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The couple told presenter Tinie Tempah that they had deposited money intended for their wedding in the property, which is still unfinished.

But neighbors have slammed the unfinished house – saying the owners, and Folkestone & Hythe District Council, did not take their views into account when approving planning permission.

Glenn Ensor, 60, who has lived with his wife in his Sandgate home since 1995, told The Sun: “I have been quoted as saying it looks like an alien spaceship. I was, and maybe I was a little dramatic – but look. It certainly doesn't suit the area.

“Our biggest concern is the way they handled it: they didn't consult anyone.

“By the time we received the drawings from the architect, the deal was already done. There was already approval from the city council.

“That was the first time that anyone in what you would call the affected area received any notice about the extent of the work.

“We had previously received a report of a change to the roof, but then this suddenly happened.

“We did not receive any written notification when we had to do so law.”

Before work started, the house was a white 1960s bungalow, but in 2019 the couple applied for planning permission to turn their home into a Miami Vice-style home.

The work included balcony changes, a revised roof design and an increase in the ridge height.

Nicola South, who lives nearby with her daughter and dog, said the dispute over the black and silver property had “broken up” the close-knit community on the street.

The local mother said: “The owners tried to remove me from the parish council because I had an opinion about it. Speaking as a resident, the whole place is an absolute mess.

“They said they had put up signage on lamp posts but we haven't received any letters.

'More houses need to be built this country – but what is being built here does not fit in with the environment and will not help starters on the housing market.

“We used to have street parties, it was such a party Nice street. Real sense of community.

'And now we don't do that anymore, because the street has been broken up by the buildings there and their architect's house on the other side.

'They destroyed the street. There are buildings on one side and on the other. We are being held hostage. It's not a nice place to live right now.

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 a problem with them, but we didn't need to be consulted.

“We have no view. We have no right to it. But we do have the right to light and privacy – and my mother lives in Castle Bay and they are right up against it when those bungalows are at the back.

“The house defines the street. The council has said they have apologized, but we have not received an apology from them.

“You can even see where the camera crew put bits of white material at the bottom when the furniture was put in, and then it all came out.

“I'm quite angry about it.”

Margaret and Edward Shevlane, who have lived in Sandgate for decades, said they were also angry about the property.

Retired language teacher Margaret, 73, added: “When they came to live with us we went to meet them and chatted with them for a bit.

'But in the end it became something much bigger, and in the end it became a monster.

“It means you are hostile to the people.

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“The two things on the program that really irritated me the most were the fact that they admitted they didn't think they would get planning permission when it seems like they tailored their applications to it, despite the opposition they knew they were facing.

“And the other is that it's made to look better on the show and the other stuff has been blown off and it looks a lot worse than it does on the show.

“Our neighbor had her house for sale and this started happening and she had to sell for £25,000 less than the asking price.

“There is a lot of exposed wood and it is right on the coast. It's far from finished and it doesn't look very safe either.”

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, claimed the Channel 4 show had done a lot of work to make the house look presentable to viewers.

They pointed out that the glass on the balconies was held together by wood – and that some windows had already cracked due to the weather.

The neighbor said they believe wooden frames with panels attached were installed to make the property look finished.

They also claimed that metal strips running around the controversial house were painted silver with a rolling brush to pass off as aluminum strips.

And the concerned local resident believes the furniture shown on the program belonged to the architect – and was removed immediately after the show was filmed.

They described the version of the trait shown at the end of the program as a “sham.”

It is not the first time that angry neighbors have spoken out after becoming angry about changes in their environment.

A spokesperson for Folkestone and Hythe District Council said the application was advertised in 2020 with a notice placed very close to the location of the house and also advertised in a local newspaper.

The spokesperson added: “Unfortunately, due to a technical error, it is not believed that notification letters have been sent to neighboring properties.

“We have apologized to local residents affected and our process for notifying neighbors has been updated so that this omission is not repeated.”

Last year, angry neighbors in Romsey, Hampshire, claimed their privacy was 'ruined' after new builds towered over their homes.

And former Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon was told by neighbors that endless construction work on his mansion was ruining their lives.

Finally, residents of Corfe Mullen have criticized a “horrible” new development which they claim resembles an “Amazon warehouse”.

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