Celia Sawyer wins to keep sunroom in $7.7 million home
Celebrity interior designer Celia Sawyer has won her dispute over a luxury sunroom she built without permission in the garden of her UK home.
Celebrity interior designer Celia Sawyer has won her dispute over a luxury sunroom she built without permission in the garden of her UK home in Sandbanks.
The star of British TV program “Four Rooms” had the glass-walled building with a retractable roof installed in 2020, The Sun reports.
The sunroom backs on to Poole Harbour, in southern England, 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 (6.4 metres by 4.5 metres) room wearing a bikini or thigh-splitting skirts.
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Last year the 58-year-old became embroiled in a row with next-door 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) 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.
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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 (0.91 metres) from Mr Kennedy’s property but it is not overbearing due to its modest height and open nature.
“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,” she said.
“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.
Parts of this story first appeared in The Sun and were republished with permission.
Originally published as Celia Sawyer wins to keep sunroom in $7.7 million home
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