A theatre company producer has been ordered to demolish the top floor of his luxury seaside home after losing a long-running battle with planners.
Adam Spiegel, whose company has produced London West End shows such The Mousetrap and Hairspray, has been at the centre of a long-running wrangle with officials over his controversial property in a picturesque Norfolk village.
Now the extraordinary planning row has come to a dramatic end as he is ordered take off the whole of the top floor of his £2 million mansion in North Norfolk.
The huge box-shaped modernist home, named Arcady which means ‘rustic paradise’ in Greek, has provoked controversy among locals who claimed the house ‘stood out like a sore thumb’ and in the past they claimed it looked like a travelodge.
Mr Spiegel’s ‘dystopian fortress’, as one local described the home, was also found to be in breach of planning rules and he and his wife, Charlotte, have been in dispute with North Norfolk District Council for almost twelve years.
Theatre company producer Adam Spiegel and his wife, Charlotte (pictured together) have been locked in a long-running battle with town planners over their controversial property in Norfolk
Mr Spiegel’s home in North Norfolk. the extraordinary planning row has come to a dramatic end as he is ordered take off the whole of the top floor of his £2 million mansion
The property viewed from above. Building work started in 2016 the following year builders were told to stop work after it was discovered that the property was not being built to the approved plans
Initially they applied to knock down the small existing bungalow overlooking the village green and church but the application was rejected after planning officials decided it was an inappropriate design for its surroundings.
Mr Spiegel lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate – the government body that presides over planning disputes – and after assessing the proposals, the inspector decided to overturn the council’s decision and the development was allowed to take place.
Building work started in 2016, the following year builders were told to stop work after it was discovered that the property was not being built to the approved plans.
The authority said it was too high and Mr Spiegel was told he must submit a new application. However construction continued and it was reported there had been no new application.
In January this year, Mr Spiegel lodged a new application with the council, which proposed the demolition of the second floor of the property.
The new designs replaces the flat roof with a pitched design which aimed to be more in-keeping with the character of the more traditional properties surrounding it.
But although the property would have a softer profile, it would end up taller than the existing building at the apex of the roof.
The structure has caused anger among locals in the coastal community with complaints it was ‘lit up like a Christmas tree’ at night while others criticised its modern design as ‘dystopian’ and more like a medieval castle.
The huge box-shaped modernist home, named Arcady which means ‘rustic paradise’ in Greek, has provoked controversy among locals who claimed the house ‘stood out like a sore thumb’
The Arcady house viewed from the village. In the past residents have compared the design to a Travelodge and another local called it a ‘dystopian fortress’
The Arcady property has caused anger among locals in the coastal community with complaints it was ‘lit up like a Christmas tree’ at night while others criticised its modern design as ‘dystopian’
Villager David Villings said last December: ‘It is a real mystery how they got permission in the first place. It just doesn’t fit in with the village and its surroundings.
‘This is a traditional Norfolk village and the house sticks out like a sore thumb. Every other property in the village is either original or made to look traditional.
‘But this place is just an eyesore – it looks as if it designed by a five-year-old with a box of Lego bricks.’
Another villagers said: ‘Most people here hate it. It’s a real eyesore and totally out-of-keeping with the village in scale, size and design. It’s too big too and dominates the village green.’
Mr Spiegel was given until October this year for the buildings to be demolished though he was allowed to keep the annexe and swimming pool.
However, as a part of the settlement involving the new roof, planners are said to have reached an agreement that the owner will be able to keep the annexe that he built as well as the swimming pool.
has approached North Norfolk District Council for a comment.