Millionaire ‘migrants’ accused of ruining Britain’s most exclusive postcode by building ‘nasty, ugly boxes on steroids’
A long-standing Sandbanks resident has accused wealthy newcomers to Poole's exclusive "Millionaire's Row" of driving an architectural decline by demolishing period properties in favour of bland modern mansions. The dispute centres on Cama, a 115-year-old Arts & Crafts house due to be knocked down by its new owners, David and Heidi Nash, who live next door to Harry and Sandra Redknapp, and replaced with a five-bedroom home that critics say will be a "poor pastiche" lacking any architectural merit.
Simon Bowden, a former investment banker who has owned property on Sandbanks for 30 years, branded the trend "Barratt Boxes on steroids" and said support for such schemes came largely from "recent migrants" to the area who themselves live in unattractive houses. The Nashes bought the property, once owned by camping tycoon Oswald Bailey's family for 80 years, for £6million earlier this year. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council's conservation officer has warned that demolishing Cama, which sits within the Sandbanks Conservation Area, would cause "substantial harm" to the area's character, while the Sandbanks Neighbourhood Forum has formally objected to the plans.
- Sandbanks resident blames wealthy newcomers for "ugly" new-build mansions
- Historic Arts & Crafts house Cama faces demolition despite council concerns
- Council warns loss of the house would harm the conservation area
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Sandbanks, in Poole, Dorset, is a narrow peninsula known as one of the most expensive places to own property in the world, often compared to areas like Monaco for its high land values. It has long been home to a mix of grand period houses and, increasingly, newly built mansions owned by wealthy individuals, some of whom are relatively recent arrivals to the area.
At the centre of the current row is a specific house, a century-old property that its new owners plan to demolish and replace with a modern five-bedroom home. This has drawn criticism from a long-time local resident, who argues that older, architecturally distinctive houses are being replaced by newer builds he considers lacking in character, and that many of the people supporting such projects are newcomers to Sandbanks.
The dispute matters because it touches on wider questions about how much control residents, planners and heritage bodies should have over what gets built in a conservation area, and how a wealthy area balances individual property rights against preserving its character. Local planning officials and a neighbourhood group have raised concerns about the specific demolition, adding an official dimension to what is otherwise a disagreement between residents.