'We don't want Sandbanks in Stanpit' – objections over replacing 19th century Mudeford home with house on stilts

A BID to demolish a 19th century cottage in Mudeford and replace it with a pre-fabricated house on stilts has attracted 75 objections with one declaring: “We don’t want Sandbanks in Stanpit.”

The applicant wants to build a three-bedroom, two storey home on the site of Dock Cottage in Stanpit, raised on concrete pillars because of the flood risk in the area.

But opponents fear the scheme could be the first of a string of similar applications, turning the “quaint fishing village” into the local equivalent of Sandbanks, famed for its multi-million-pound properties.

However, the application to BCP Council said the current building was suffering from damp and woodworm.

An accompanying document from Cambridge-based The House Designers, which was involved in building The Jetty restaurant nearby, said Dock Cottage was "poorly constructed" and a "mishmash of alterations and extensions".

It also said that despite its age the cottage is “not listed as having any architectural, nor heritage value” and “does not offer any value to the Stanpit and Fisherman’s Bank conservation area”.

The company said it will be replaced by a Baufrtiz UK Ltd home, which are pre-fabricated and flat-packed. The house will be “carbon positive” and a “sustainable ecological house”, it said.

The application also said that by locating the home on the north-west part of the site, the “highly valuable glimpses” of the sea from Stanpit will be retained.

But furious objectors have written to BCP Council claiming that if given the go-ahead the new house will “totally destroy” this area of Christchurch.

One said: “Tourism is one of our main employers and relies on the quaint fishing village feel of Mudeford, nobody wants to come here to admire modern mansions.”

Another said: “It would completely spoil and change this piece of Christchurch history. The area along the bank has kept its quaintness and has remained unchanged for years.”

One objector wrote: “It’s not in keeping with the little cottages and will dramatically change the look of the place. We don’t want Sandbanks in Stanpit, thanks!”

Another resident said: “The proposed planning application is not in keeping with the character of other buildings in the local area and would, in my opinion, cause a blot on the landscape.”

But the owners of Dock Cottage say they have no intention of building a Sandbanks-style mansion.

Applicant Julie Wilson said: “It is not being built for commercial gain. We have lived in Mudeford for 15 years and this will be our retirement home.”

She and husband Sean wrote to neighbours about their plans telling them that the present house is damp, poorly built and at high risk of flooding.

The environment agency has stipulated that the new property must be elevated to protect it from that, the couple say.

The new house will be constructed in three days and be much more environmentally efficient.

The couple said: “It has been much more expensive for us to build the house this way, but we want to make this house one that we and local environmentalists are proud of.”

A decision by BCP Council is scheduled after the deadline for public comments on 7th July.