Future of controversial Old Hunstanton home set to be decided by West Norfolk Council

The future of a controversial home in a coastal village is set to be decided after a breach of planning rules sparked a furious row that saw a parish council bombarded with abusive calls.

Mr and Mrs Middleton had hoped to build their dream house on Wodehouse Road in Old Hunstanton, close to where other family members live.

The street is named after PG Wodehouse, the author of the Jeeves and Wooster stories, who was a frequent visitor to the village.

However, the couple from Lincolnshire ran into trouble after villagers complained that it had been built as a three-storey home, rather than two as they believed it should have been.

This generated a huge amount of anger in the community - and West Norfolk Council received a flurry of objections, with people calling the house “too big and too high”.

Old Hunstanton Parish Council also received a barrage of abusive phone calls from upset residents which forced the chairman, Cllr Nick Eastwell, to make an extraordinary plea for people to stop the harrying.

However, the Middletons refute there has been a breach of planning conditions, saying the dwelling was always approved as a three-storey home.

They do admit that there have been “slight alterations” to the balcony and windows, as well as an additional basement room.

This has led to a retrospective planning application being submitted to the borough council.

The parish council continues to object to the changes, stating that accepting them would be “wholly inappropriate” and would set a “dangerous precedent for the future and badly damage the credibility of West Norfolk Council”.

Other residents worry ground levels have been built up more than they should have been.

Despite the controversy, officers have recommended the changes to the plans are approved and that the house can stay.