Uncertainty remains regarding 0ld police house turned into home

Officials have told a man who converted a former police house into his dream home that he may have to knock it down.

Steve Boon’s two-storey property in Blakeney has attracted fury from his neighbours, who say it is a “monstrous insertion” on their tree-lined street.

He has owned the site for at least 10 years and has knocked down much of the original property – which for generations housed the village bobby – and has applied for several variations of his original planning permission during that time.

But his latest attempt to gain approval from North Norfolk District Council for building work he has already completed at the Old Police House has been refused by councillors.

It means he may have to demolish parts of the flint-knapped home, which neighbours have complained has blocked their right to light and that it is out of place in the neighbourhood.

Members of the planning committee first discussed the property last month.

At the meeting in August, Edward Hackford, who lives opposite, called it a “monstrous insertion” that was out of place in the area.

Councillors decided to conduct a site visit before making a decision and the scheme returned before the committee again last week.

Officers said the Langham Road home presented a complex challenge, with 15 different applications being made at the site over the course of a decade.

Permission was granted for a dormer extension previously in 2022 and subsequent alterations to the plans have also been approved.

The current application before them was for relatively minor changes to the previous three approved applications.

This included the exterior flintknapping, changes to the porch design, and a chimney to the rear.

However, councillors were told to assess the building as a whole, as officers said it has transpired that the entire property had been demolished, “resulting in unauthorised works”.

Blakeney Parish Council objected to the height and scale of the property.

Dr Victoria Holliday, the local Conservative councillor, said the developer had “driven a coach and horse” through planning policies, claiming the neighbouring home had lost 20pc of its sunlight.

She added: “The previous planning permission is a material consideration but does this outweigh the harm?”

Other councillors complained the scheme had “metamorphosised” over the years which made it difficult for the council’s planning team to keep track of the changes.

Liz Vickers, Conservative councillor for Fakenham, said the site visit revealed the “sheer brass neck” of the development.

However, representatives of Mr Boon have insisted the building has not been built taller than the previously approved plans and that it is within the footprint of the original house.

Ultimately, councillors voted to refuse his application.

A decision notice said the home had resulted in an enlarged dwelling that is overbearing for its neighbours.

However, committee chairman Paul Heinrich admitted it was likely the developer would appeal the decision.

If an appeal is not successful or a compromise is not found, Mr Boon could face a similar fate to West End theatre director Adam Spiegel’s Arcady home in neighbouring Cley.

He battled for a decade to save his home, which was built larger than the approved plans.

But ultimately, government officials sided with NNDC’s planners and Mr Spiegel has been forced to demolish part of his home to cut it down to size.

Also in Blakeney, a £6m house that was offered as a prize in an Omaze charity draw for Comic Relief is the focus of an ongoing planning dispute.

An investigation revealed it had been built differently to the permitted plans.

There is a risk Omaze, which will not hand over the keys to the prize draw winner until the planning row is resolved, could also have to knock part of the building down if permission is refused.