Outraged residents in Southbourne, Bournemouth, have accused a developer of 'adding insult to injury' after he submitted plans to build a two-storey house on the last remaining green space, completely blocking their sea views. The development, which has been ongoing for months, was initially promised to include some green space.
Broken Promises
Eddie Fitzsimmons, owner of Vivir Estates, had pledged to allocate green space during the luxury development of 27 flats. However, he has now applied for permission to build an additional detached house on that land. Local resident Liz Bates said the developer has 'gone against every word and promise he has told local residents.' She described the feeling among the community as 'bitter hatred and anger.'
Mrs Bates stated: 'The greedy developer has now put in another planning application for a two-storey dwelling on the footpath right outside our house. I was fully expecting him to stoop this low. He has quite simply ruined the lives of around 100 residents, without a single care for anyone. This was allocated as the only tiny bit of green space for the whole development.'
Impact on Residents
The proposed two-storey home would have its own roof terrace with an uninterrupted view of the coast, a view that Mrs Bates and others have lost. Ian Smith, another resident, said the new plans 'further restrict their views and privacy' and that the original application stated the area was designated for green space only. He added: 'If the application is granted, there will be very good grounds for those affected to sue for compensation.'
Kathryn Samson questioned whether the council has considered the local community, noting that the development has been allowed to proceed under 'very questionable circumstances.'
Illegal Privacy Wall
Mrs Bates's sea views have already been blocked by an illegal privacy wall, a 16ft by 8ft structure added to one of the apartment blocks without permission. In February, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council refused retrospective planning permission for the wall, but Vivir Estates has lodged an appeal to keep it instead of demolishing it.
Developer's Justification
Pure Town Planning, acting on behalf of Vivir Estates, stated in the design and access statement that the new house would 'enhance the character and appearance of the area,' not negatively impact neighbours, and help ease the local housing shortage. They also said the existing public footpath would be 'repositioned.'
Background
BCP Council sold the Southbourne Crossroads Car Park site in 2017 due to underuse, but denied two planning applications for the site. Vivir Estates appealed, and a planning inspector overruled the council despite 1,500 local objections. Councillor Michael Tarling previously said: 'It is absolutely obvious to everyone what the developer is doing, which is to try and maximise sales revenue. They thought they could try and sneak a wall in later, and that is incredibly disingenuous.'
The Mirror has approached Vivir Estates for comment.
