Resident ‘ruining Britain’s prettiest street’ infuriates council with latest work

A controversial home on ‘England’s prettiest street’ is causing fresh anger as its owner refuses to stop making renovations.

Rosemary Cottage owner Metin Dener is pushing ahead with his plans for an outdoor fireplace and underground car park despite fury from neighbours and Bibury council.

The work at the home in Bibury has been dubbed a ‘flagrant disregard for the history and beauty of the area’ and has been accused of turning the Grade 2 historic cottage into a ‘monstrosity.’

Years of construction work at the cottage on Awkward Hill have been at the centre of an ongoing row as locals say it is still blighting their lives.

Despite hopes they had stopped the development, new plans have been submitted for materials to be used for an underground car park, which confirmed the work had begun and was still underway.

And fresh objections have now been made over a second live application, for an outdoor fireplace that is under consideration.

Bibury Parish Council said: ‘The fireplace is huge, not in keeping with its surroundings, especially as curtilage on a very important Grade 2 historic cottage.

‘The whole area is recognised as an area of national importance and special character. From various angles, the chimney can be seen and changes the historic view.’

The parish council said the outdoor fireplace has been built ‘in a contrary position’ to the local plan.

It added: ‘The Parish Council have serious concerns about the care and competency of the site advisors/architects allowing such construction to take place on this historically sensitive site without seeking planning permission, we again request the planning officer monitor the site more regularly, as a whole site rather than individual projects.’

Residents living on the street said they were displeased with the development, with one saying: ‘Nobody’s very happy about it. There’s somebody actually living there now.

‘It will be three years in July, it was a tiny, tiny Cotswolds Cottage, and now look. It’s become a monstrosity. Hopefully, there’s no more building work, but they don’t seem to be stopping. We have said everything there is to say.’

Previous plans for the cottage included stripping and replacing the Cotswold stone slate roof tiles as well as adding insulation to a utility room.

Applications were also submitted for an oak conservatory and a stone summerhouse, but locals said the works, which have been carried out since 2023, have caused constant noise and disruption.

Trucks that service the site churn up the verges and block their gates, they claimed, causing ‘horrifying’ damage.

A spokesperson for Spirit Architecture Ltd said: ‘The Awkward Hill road was closed by Gloucestershire Highways in 2023 after they received comments from the Parish Council regarding the condition of the retaining drystone boundary wall of Rosemary Cottage, and Highways then issued an enforcement notice to my client to make repairs.

‘My client had to then pay for the rebuilding of this 3m+ high retaining wall to current safety standards. Closing the road obviously upset a lot of residents, but it was the Parish Council who initiated this and the highways authority who instructed this work; it was not initiated by my client.’

They added that access to the underground garage, which has full approval for planning, has been delayed because of additional flood risk assessments needed by the Parish Council.

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