RESIDENTS have claimed their seaside town has been ruined by an "ugly" newbuild block they have compared to the monstrous Titanic.
The "excessively large" building appeared in Whitstable, Kent, two years ago – but fuming locals have now taken action against it.
Developers were given permission to build a proposed 12-flat brick-building in Canterbury Road.
But shocked neighbours said the "monolith" is a far cry from the original plan.
Helen Caddick was left devastated when she returned from her holiday last year only to find her property backing directly on to the "intrusive" site.
She fumed: “I burst into tears and saw how enormous the building had become and how high."
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The new site blocks the sunlight from entering their gardens and it has reduced the value of their homes by thousands, residents said.
Helen claimed a local estate agent told her the building has knocked a staggering £25,000 off the value of her home.
She blasted: “It is no exaggeration to say that with its bulk and white façade it feels now like we have the Titanic parked at the end of our gardens.
“I feel depressed every time I look at it and I no longer enjoy sitting in my garden as the building is overbearing."
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Shocked neighbours then decided to take matters into their own hands and demanded the council to take action.
Chartered Architect Michael Shoobridge fought in support of the residents' case at the planning committed and dubbed the site a "monolithic presence".
He slammed: "You don’t need to debate over the drawings to see how oppressive this structure is, you can go and see it for yourself in three dimensions."
Kate O’Donovan, who lives behind the complex, described the building as “ugly and unsympathetic to existing architecture”.
She added: “The current build remains in glaring contrast to the approved plans.
“It is excessively large and out of character."
Agent Pat Mills from Clague Architects explained developers tried to change the front and rear roof elevations – but the changes came late.
Mr Mills said: “The scheme that’s been submitted for approval looks to vary what’s been built so the building is no higher than what's previously been approved.
“An application was submitted to vary the scheme before construction. The refusal came quite late.
“They were to a certain degree past the point of no return."
At the time, councillors refused the bid to change the empty block and said the works are "brutal".
Cllr Harry McKenzie said: “What is the point of a planning department or even a council if we’re going to let stuff like this fly?
“They’ve proposed one thing and built a totally different thing.
“I do believe if we don’t refuse this now then it sets a precedent for other developers to do this in the future – to promise one thing and then do something totally different.”
Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies confirmed they are “considering options around enforcement”.
He said: "The developer made his revised planning application only after our planning enforcement team investigated the case and called out the breach with the developer.
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"While the application was under consideration, the developer was aware that the continued building works he was carrying out were at his own risk.
"Following the committee's refusal, we are now considering options around enforcement, but are not in a position to confirm details about this at the moment."
What are your rights?
All new build homes come with some form of warranty.
Most often, this is a builder warranty of around 10 years, against structural issues, and a shorter developer warranty against issues with fixtures and fittings.
Registered builders are bound by a Consumer Code, which sets out quality standards.
If the house is not complete at the time it was promised, the customer can cancel the purchase, with a full refund of any deposit or reservation fee.
Complaints can be resolved privately with builders/developers in the first instance.
However, if you are not satisfied, there is an independent dispute scheme that can be used within the first three months of receiving the final response to the complaint from the builders.
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