Neighbours are up in arms over the building of a house just two feet away from their gardens.

Cyril Hammond, who lives in Harvey Road, Great Totham, and his neighbour Tanya Byford, have hit out at a development which they claim when fully built, will tower above their gardens.

Three developers applied to build seven five-bedroom houses on land off of Playle Chase, but one of them, being built by Sovereign Country Homes, is so close to Mr Hammond's garden, he claims there was not enough room to erect scaffolding. It should be at least 1.5m away from the nearest boundary, he says.

Mr Hammond considers the building contravenes the original planning application and should be demolished.

The 73-year-old said: "It's terrible. I don't know how the developers have got away with it. The house is going to block the sunlight out of our south facing gardens. It is going to be like living in a prison."

Mrs Byford, who lives next door with her husband and three daughters, aged three, six and eight, moved into the house three-and-a-half years ago because it was not overlooked. "It's been a nightmare from the very beginning," she said. "I have got children at the school and it is already overcrowded. This will make it worse.

"The building towers above our gardens. I just want it pulled down."

Mark Phillips, an administrator for Sovereign Country Homes at Battlesbridge, said: "We have met all the planning requirements of Maldon District Council." He declined to comment any further.

An outline planning application was submitted to Maldon council and it was refused in June 2000. The developers appealed to the Secretary of State and the planning inspector overturned the decision in January 2001. Then the developers put in a fresh application for houses in a different position and the council granted it permission in June 2002.

Mr Hammond complained to the local government ombudsman hoping to find maladministration against the district council because of the proximity of the building to his house but it was discontinued on November 13, 2002.

The council did not consider the breaches of planning approval were "sufficiently serious" to warrant enforcement action.

Now Mr Hammond is enlisting the help of his solicitor to consider his next move.

Published Friday, January 24, 2003

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