Sandbanks residents' fury at plan to build 27ft high sea wall
It’s Stalag Sandbanks! Residents of Dorset’s millionaires’ row react with fury to prospect of concrete barrier higher than the Great Wall of China in £250m plan to turn historic waterfront hotel into luxury flats
- Campaigners claim resort in Poole Harbour will resemble prisoner-of-war ‘Stalag’ camp if new sea wall is built
- More than 6,500 letters of objection have already been lodged against plans to demolish historic Haven Hotel
- Flood modelling report made on behalf of developers revealed 27ft high sea wall defence is required around perimeter of harbour site to stop wave surges
- It was initially thought that the six-storey block of 119 luxury apartments would require a 12ft sea wall
- But the Environment Agency requested further analysis of the ‘flood risk’, prompting a new calculation
Millionaire residents of Sandbanks have reacted with fury at the prospect of a 27ft high concrete wall being built to protect the exclusive peninsula from flooding.
The structure, that would be higher than the Great Wall of China, would have to be built as part of a controversial £250million development to turn a historic waterfront hotel into a block of luxury flats.
Campaigners claim the posh resort in Poole Harbour, Dorset, will resemble a prisoner-of-war ‘Stalag’ camp if the new sea wall is built.
Sandbanks is renowned as a millionaires’ playground where £10million properties play host to business moguls and celebrities alike.
More than 6,500 letters of objection have already been lodged against the plans to demolish the Haven Hotel.
Millionaire residents of Sandbanks have reacted with fury at the prospect of a 27ft high concrete wall being built to protect the exclusive peninsula from flooding. The structure, that would be higher than the Great Wall of China, would have to be built as part of a controversial £250m development to turn a historic waterfront hotel into a block of luxury flats. Above, a spoof image posted by the Sandbanks Community Group on Twitter – as campaigners compare the development to a Stalag prison camp
Above, a computer-generated image of how the development could look. It was previously thought the six-storey block of 119 luxury apartments would require a 12ft sea wall, before the Environment Agency requested further analysis of the ‘flood risk’, prompting a new calculation. However, the developers insist the larger sea wall will be ‘mechanical’ and only rise up from the ground hydraulically when there is a flooding risk
Developers have accused the campaigners of ‘scraping the barrel’ in their attempts to thwart the project (CGI impression, pictured) which is set to be ruled on by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council planning officials in February
But anger has intensified after a flood modelling report produced on behalf of the developers revealed a 27ft high sea wall defence is required around the perimeter of the Poole Harbour site to stop wave surges.
The objectors say this would be taller than the iconic Chinese landmark that ranges in height from 16ft to 25ft – and almost double the height of the Berlin Wall, making residents feel like they were trapped in a German-style prison camp.
It was previously thought the six-storey block of 119 luxury apartments would require a 12ft sea wall, before the Environment Agency requested further analysis of the ‘flood risk’, prompting a new calculation.
However, the developers insist the larger sea wall will be ‘mechanical’ and only rise up from the ground hydraulically when there is a flooding risk.
More than 6,500 letters of objection have already been lodged against the plans to demolish the Haven Hotel. It was built in 1880 and is where engineer Guglielmo Marconi established the world’s first wireless communications
They have accused the campaigners of ‘scraping the barrel’ in their attempts to thwart the development which is set to be ruled on by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council planning officials in February.
David Morley, chairman of the Sandbanks Community Group, who are fighting the plans, said: ‘This sea wall will actually be higher than the Great Wall of China and almost double the height of the Berlin Wall.
‘It will turn our peninsula into Stalag Sandbanks, as it will make Sandbanks look like a prison camp.
‘The developers initially said the wall would measure 3.75m to 4m (13ft) but the Environment Agency requested further analysis and now the figure is 8.25m (27ft).
‘The views are really important – not only from here but also looking towards Poole Harbour from Purbeck. They will be taken away and that is one of the many things wrong with this development.’
Sandbanks (above) is renowned as a millionaires’ playground where £10m properties play host to business moguls and celebrities alike. Poole is home to the second largest natural harbour in the world behind Sydney and it is also an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The tiny millionaires’ playground – an 850ft stretch of road in Sandbanks – knocked the likes of Miami and Monte Carlo off their mantles to become the most expensive stretch of coastal real estate in the world in 2018. This photo reveals the 13 properties in Sandbanks at the time, which together are worth some £93m
He added: ‘Sydney Harbour has the iconic Opera House, Poole Harbour gets a block of flats.
‘The first sight for millions of visitors would be this out-of-scale, soulless tower block on the beautiful face of Poole Harbour.’
The Haven Hotel was built in 1880 and is where engineer Guglielmo Marconi established the world’s first wireless communications.
If plans are approved, as well as the Haven becoming flats, the Sandbanks Hotel will be redeveloped as a new five-star 185-bedroom hotel and the Harbour Heights will become a 38-apartment hotel and spa.
They have been submitted on behalf of the owner of the three hotels, FJB Hotels.
The flood modelling report, produced by consultants Waterco, states: ‘The outputs from this study indicate that the crest level of the existing flood wall at the Haven Hotel and Sandbanks hotel sites should be raised to minimum levels of 7.75-8.25m.’
Poole is home to the second largest natural harbour in the world behind Sydney and it is also an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The planning application was first submitted in 2017 and has been opposed by both the Environment Agency and the RSPB, who have raised concerns over the impact the new buildings will have on bird migration.
In response, developer Richard Carr, on behalf of FJB Hotels, said their plans will rejuvenate the coastline by replacing ‘very old, very dated hotels’ with ‘beautiful buildings’.
He accused the campaigners of being ‘motivated by greed’ in their opposition to the development, saying they wished to protect private access to the beach behind their multi-million pound properties.
David Morley, chairman of the Sandbanks Community Group, who are fighting the plans, said: ‘This sea wall will actually be higher than the Great Wall of China [above] and almost double the height of the Berlin Wall’
Mr Carr said: ‘They are right that there needs to be a mechanical wall in the event of a once-in-a-200-year flood or storm, but it will be mechanical so it will not be there, it will be hydraulic and come up in the event of a storm.
‘They are scraping the barrel and I’m very optimistic [about the plans being approved] as who in their right mind would not want it to happen, other than a few greedy millionaires with holiday homes on the peninsula who visit them once every couple of years.
‘They don’t want to lose their private access to the beach and for there to be a public footpath. I’m fed up of it. They think they own Sandbanks and it is grossly unfair.
‘They shouldn’t be trying to use their wealth to try and stop the general public having access to the public beaches.’
He previously said of the development: ‘The hotels are very old, very dated. The Haven Hotel is structurally unsound. It probably only has ten years of life left in it.
‘I think the three buildings we’ve designed are without doubt iconic, and give people in the hotels the facilities they expect.
‘At the end of the day, we live on the most beautiful coastline in the United Kingdom and it deserves to have beautiful buildings with it.’
Ranked the most expensive coastal real estate in the world in 2018, Sandbanks is made up of about 800 households and has several famous residents including former football manager Graeme Souness and computer magnate Sir Peter Ogden.
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