A retired accountant is fighting to save his £4million home in the exclusive Sandbanks area of Poole after a neighbour, said to be the boss of biscuit maker Ryvita, complained that the property was illegally built and overlooks a celebrity interior designer's balcony. The homeowner has launched a last-ditch appeal to avoid being forced to demolish part of the house, in a dispute that highlights the fierce planning battles that can erupt among wealthy residents of one of Britain's most expensive stretches of coastline.

The complaint centres on claims that the property breaches planning permission and infringes on the privacy of a neighbouring celebrity interior designer, whose balcony is said to be overlooked by the new build. Sandbanks is renowned as one of the priciest places to own property in the UK, with homes routinely commanding multimillion-pound price tags, making disputes over development and overlooking especially contentious among high-profile residents.