My dream eco-home turned into a nightmare & council left me £13.5MILLION out of pocket – but neighbours back me
A millionaire entrepreneur’s £13.5m eco-home has turned into a nightmare after the council stopped him from demolishing it.
But neighbours have backed him saying that the run down 117-year-old cottage in swanky Sandbanks, Poole, should go.
Recruitment businessman Tom Glanfield paid a record £13.5m for the cottage on the largest plot of land on the Poole Harbour peninsula.
He has hoped to turn the “death trap” cottage which has been reported as the most “expensive home in the world” into a luxury eco-house.
But Glanfield, 46, was stunned when the local council refused him planning permission, stating the proposed home was a “boxy” and “generic” replacement.
He went back to the drawing board and altered the design of his proposed £7m two-storey, glass-fronted development.
He will now use more traditional building materials, like natural Purbeck stone, so the home will ‘blend in with the sylvan setting’ of the neighbourhood.
Millionaire residents of Sandbanks have now rallied behind a neighbour’s bid to build his dream home in the exclusive resort after officials tried to scupper it.
One said: “As a Sandbanks resident and a friend of the owner, I’ve personally visited the current house and seen its state of disrepair.
“This house and plot is in urgent need of redevelopment.
“Having got to know Tom it’s great to see someone who’s prepared to invest so much money into this development and he has come up together with local architects with a beautiful design.
“This needs to be approved urgently to allow Tom to build a house Sandbanks can be proud of.”
Another wrote: “Unlike the ugly structures that the council have approved in recent years on Sandbanks, this proposal will enhance the area, particularly when viewed from the harbour on this iconic plot.”
A third said: “We have lived on the peninsula for three years and over that time have seen a lot of old buildings demolished and replaced by more modern buildings that utilise the available land a lot better than the house which was replaced.
“Most/all of those new buildings are very modern in appearance and very similar to our property which is one of the iconic houses on the peninsula.
“These plans are no different from the many others currently being built or already completed. The finished property will be an asset to the area.”
The council said only a house of “exceptional design quality” could be justified for destroying the cottage and Glanfield’s proposed home was too modern for that corner of the peninsula.
Locals say that while the colonial-style cottage may appear charming it has had its day, is falling down and is ripe for redevelopment.
They largely praised Glanfield for wanting to invest a great deal of money into the peninsula.
Glanfield said: “An updated planning application has been submitted which responds positively to the council’s concerns.
“We have amended the design of the property and included a detailed assessment to demonstrate that the proposal won’t impact on the Conservation Area.
“It is pleasing to see the significant level of public support the application has, my aim has always been to build a high quality, bespoke, property that is an asset to the wider area.”
This house and plot is in urgent need of redevelopment
Neighbour
One Sandbanks local said a reason for why Glanfield has so much support is that he has made himself part of the community since moving there in March 2023.
They said: “It is his permanent home, it’s not a second home that lies empty half of the year.
“He has immersed himself into Sandbanks life since he moved in. He is into watersports and has an e-foil board in the harbour. He also uses the local restaurants.”
In a design and access statement submitted to BCP Council as part of the revised planning application, Glanfield’s planning agent said it would make use of different materials.
Emily Jeffries said: “The revised scheme has altered the selection of materials used to create a design using a combination of Purbeck Stone, timber on upper floors having a dark grey charred finish, and horizontal bands now in Corten effect finish.
“Using these materials will enable the proposal to blend in with the sylvan setting.”
Glanfield, a father of two, has previously described the run down bungalow as a “death trap” and full of mould.
He expressed his wish to invest in the local economy when building his house.
He said: “I am a bit of a conservationist but the current house is uneconomical and environmentally unfriendly.
“We have got the chance to build something quite amazing there.
“It is going to be a fully sustainable, environmentally friendly, carbon neutral home that will also be an iconic building to mark the entrance to the harbour that will be seen by boats and yachts coming and going.
“The area has got a lot of superhomes but I am not that kind of guy. I am pleased that I bought it and not another property developer who is going to build another modern, three storey superhome that will cost £10,000 a month to run.”
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council declined to comment on a live application.
‘DEATH TRAP’
The Sandbanks property, dubbed ‘the UK’s most expensive’, occupies a 1.4 acre corner plot and is by far the biggest piece of real estate on the Millionaires’ Row.
But, recruitment boss Glanfield admitted previously how the house “relies on obscene amounts of oil”, is covered in mould, and has a cracked concrete driveway.
And, he added that it bares outdated cork ceiling tiles in the kitchen and a disintegrating tidal wall outside.
A rickety five-bar gate and a tumbledown garage also blight the home’s exterior, as well as a “death trap” concrete swimming pool.
The previously proposed plans had shown a five bedroom home, open plan kitchen, dining area, living space, office and entertainment area, including bar.
A master suite would have boasted a jacuzzi bath with sea views, balcony and private dressing room.
In the basement, Glanfield’s architect had planned for a home cinema and gym.
He argued “muted natural materials” in the plans would be a better fit that “stark white” bungalows already in the area.
Glanfield added that the existing structure is “uneconomical and environmentally unfriendly”, while he would create a “fully sustainable, environmentally friendly, carbon neutral home”.
“The area has got a lot of superhomes but I am not that kind of guy,” he continued.
“I am pleased that I bought it and not another property developer who is going to build another modern, three storey superhome that will cost £10,000 a month to run.”
NORTH HAVEN POINT
The bungalow has been dubbed the “world’s most expensive home” and was owned by same family for 117 years before it was sold to Tom.
Known as North Haven Point, the chalet bungalow was extended in the 1950s and has a floor space of just 2,909sq ft.
It’s £13.5m price tag equates to an eye-watering £4,640 per square foot.
And, the home’s per-square-foot cost humbly thrashes the value of luxury properties in Monaco, Hong Kong and New York.
The ground floor boasts a living room, dining room and kitchen, utility rooms, store room, pantry and office.
And the first floor, which was extended in the 1950s, has the master en-suite bedroom, a guest bedroom suite and two more bedrooms.
Entrepreneur Glanfield made his millions after sleeping on an office floor and washing in toilet cubicles to save every penny while launching a recruitment firm from his mate’s attic.
He borrowed £9,000 on credit cards and took out a student loan and had quickly built up a client base big enough to get a small workspace in London.
“I realised I needed to give the impression that my company was well established, so I began playing a cassette recorder of loud office noise on loop in the background,” he said previously.
“I renamed my company LHi Group to make it sound more familiar and perhaps give the illusion that it was larger than it actually was.”
His company now employs 450 people across Europe and the US.