RESIDENTS at one of the UK’s seaside millionaire’s row are fuming that rich newcomers are ruining the beautiful area by building “ugly boxes on steroids”.

Tensions at the exclusive coastal postcode Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset have reached boiling point since plans have been revealed to demolish a 115-year-old house and replace it with a sleek, modern home.

A beloved Arts and Crafts house in Poole, Dorset, has recently been sold and is due to be demolished Credit: BNPS

Rich newcomers to the are have been accused of ruining the peninsula area Credit: BNPS

Simon Bowden, a former investment banker, has lived and owned property in the area for 30 years and is fuming with how much Sandbanks has changed during that time.

He launched a scathing attack in response to the imminent loss of a 115-year-old Arts & Crafts house on the edge of the harbour.

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The property is called Cama, which once belonged to the camping tycoon Oswald Bailey where it remained in his family for 80 years until it was sold by his four grandchildren.

Its new owners, David and Heidi Nash, have applied for permission to demolish it and replace it with a five bedroom mansion.

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Sandbanks is an exclusive millionaire’s row in Poole Credit: BNPS

Long-time residents are fuming over the rise in ‘fake’ harbourside houses Credit: BNPS

But Simon, along with other conservationists, claim the new home will be a “poor pastiche” of the celebrated “unique” Edwardian-style property that was built to showcase handmade craftsmanship and local materials.

He said: “Replacing such a historic house is a great shame, especially as the replacement dwelling is a very poor pastiche of Arts & Crafts, but sadly typical of the new style of Sandbanks ‘Boxes on steroids’.

“It has absolutely zero architectural merit.”

Cama is in the Sandbanks Conservation Area and the local council have already expressed concern about the potential loss of the property.

These modern buildings are said to have a negative impact on the street Credit: BNPS

Newer residents have written in support of the Nashs Credit: BNPS

However, 33 written letters have been written in support for the Nash’s proposals by other Sandbanks residents.

Simon said: “I see there were many letters of support, all from people who are recent migrants to Sandbanks and who also live in ugly houses.

“When it’s gone, few will remember the quality architecture on Sandbanks.

“No doubt this will get approved, but the effect of Sandbanks of these fake houses is highly negative.”

Margo Teasdale, the conservation officer at BCP Council, described Cama as a “very good example” of a house that contributes to the conservation area and that knocking it down would cause “substantial harm to the significance of the area”.

The Sandbanks Neighbourhood Forum (SNF) has also objected to the Nash’s plans, saying that the new property would be too big for the plot, too close to the water’s edge and would harm the harbourside views.

They said: “If the building is to be lost then this Conservation Area site deserves an exceptional and sensitively designed replacement that respects it’s surrounding and will enhance the location.”

Two years ago the SNF spearheaded a Sandbanks referendum that gave residents a greater say about the future planning of the area.

They said Sandbanks had become overdeveloped with a “rash” of uninspiring and “poorly considered homes“.

In particular, too many gated mansions had been built around the outer edges of the peninsula.

They said at the time: “Most of the traditional style dwellings have been replaced by modern architect-designed residences.

“There has been a constant push towards increasing heights and density.

“It is considered that any significant further movement in this will cause irrevocable impairment of the landscape and treescape and the wider environment and should be resisted.”

According to LinkedIn, Mr Nash is the CEO of law firm Canford Law, and Mrs Nash, 45, is the managing director of Selling Sandbanks – a company that helps people find houses to buy in the area through “connections and relationships”.

One supporter of the couple’s plans is Tom Glanfield, an entrepreneur who spent over a year battling the council for permission to demolish a 117-year-old bungalow he paid £13million for on a nearby plot.

He said: “Living only a couple of doors away from this property it’s definitely in need of replacing and updating.

“It’s great to have some neighbours who have the time, resources and energy to do this as this whole side of Sandbanks needs investment like this put into it.”

Another supporter is Paul Pressland, a commercial property developer who sold the former house the Redknapps bought and demolished.

He said: “This site, along with a few others, forms part of the gateway to Poole Harbour and is key to the view from the water.

“The existing house is compromised and in a poor state of repair.

“This proposal is not only attractive but sustainable in adding to the important aesthetics of the area and bringing it back into use a family home.”

The Nash’s planning agent produced a design and access statement which read: “The proposed dwelling has been designed in a very high-quality Arts and Crafts style with the aim of creating a building which contributes positively to the character and appearance of the locality and reflecting the heritage of the site and Conservation Area.

“Great consideration has been given to creating authentic proportions and an overall balanced composition.

“The proposed building is richly detailed with Arts and Crafts features including stone windows surrounds and other stonework.”