Channel 4 star WINS fight to keep bikini sunroom she built in garden of £4million home after neighbour spy row
CELEBRITY interior designer Celia Sawyer has won her planning dispute over a luxury sunroom she built without permission in the garden of her Sandbanks home.
The star of Channel 4’s Four Rooms had the glass-walled building with a retractable roof installed in 2020.
The sunroom backs on to Poole Harbour and even has a small sandy ‘beach’ in front of it with sunbeds on.
Mrs Sawyer, known as Mrs Bling, has regularly posted pictures on Instagram of herself lounging in the 21ft by 15ft room wearing a bikini or thigh-splitting skirts.
Last year the 58-year-old became embroiled in a row with nextdoor neighbour Neil Kennedy over a first floor balcony he had built without planning permission.
She claimed that it breached her privacy as he was able to look down to the bottom of her garden where she sunbathes.
Mrs Sawyer and her husband Nick lost out in the dispute when BCP Council granted Mr Kennedy retrospective planning permission that allowed him to keep his balcony and other alterations he had done.
Afterwards the council received an anonymous tip-off informing them that Mrs Sawyer’s sunroom had been built without permission.
Officials contacted her and told her she had to submit a retrospective planning application for it.
She faced having to tear it down if it was rejected.
A council case officer has now granted her planning approval saying they were satisfied the building did not cause any harm to the area.
Planning officer Emma Woods said the sunroom wasn’t visible from the street and can only be seen from the water and neighbouring properties.
She said the sunroom is “open in nature” and “does not appear at odds with its surroundings” pointing out that many waterside properties have outbuildings like boat houses.
She noted it is about 3ft from Mr Kennedy’s property but it is not overbearing due to its modest height and open nature.
What are your retrospective planning permission rights?
A local planning authority can request a retrospective application, according to Gov.uk.
You should submit your application without delay.
Although a local planning authority may invite an application, you must not assume permission will be granted.
A person who has undertaken unauthorised development has only one opportunity to obtain planning permission after the event.
This can either be through a retrospective planning application or an appeal against an enforcement notice – on the grounds that planning permission should be granted or the conditions should be removed.
The local planning authority can decline a retrospective planning application if an enforcement notice has previously been issued.
No appeal may be made if an enforcement notice is issued within the time allowed for determination of a retrospective planning application.
She said: “The design retains a sense of openness and is considered to fit comfortably with the established character and appearance of this stretch of the shoreline.
“Overall it is considered that the development respects the amenities and privacy of the occupants of the neighbouring properties.”
The council only received one representation from a neighbour who said the sunroom was well designed and made a positive contribution to this part of the harbour.
Mrs Sawyer was granted the retrospective planning application with condition that the sunroom must not be used for habitable accommodation.