Residents of a quiet suburban cul-de-sac dubbed 'bungalow land' are outraged because one of their neighbours is set to transform his home into a two-storey house.
Ferdinando Defeo, 55, applied to raise the height of his roof by 15in in order to create space for a crafts room for wife Vanessa and bedroom for his Royal Marine son to stay in while home on leave.
But the proposal was met with 57 letters of objection to the council, even though there are only 24 homes on the street in Bournemouth, Dorset.
The house will be the first in the street's 90-year history and residents are concerned it will set a precedent for other projects, adding they fear it will lead to an invasion of privacy.
Low-key living: Residents of this Bournemouth street fear Ferdinando Defeo's plans to turn his bungalow (pictured centre with the car in front) into a house will set a dangerous precedent for the future. One long-time neighbour said the two-storey property will be an 'eye sore'
Property pioneer: Ferdinando Defeo, 55, has been granted permission to turn his bungalow, pictured, into the first house in his street's 90-year history. The father-of-three wants space for a bedroom for his Royal Marine son and a crafts room for his wife, Victoria
Planners at Bournemouth Borough Council took into account residents' concerns that the house would 'harmfully alter the character of the area' but granted permission to Mr Defeo.
Retired plumber Robert Taylor, 82, who has lived on the street with wife Margaret for 60 years, said all the surrounding roads were 'bungalow communities' and it should stay that way.
'I don't know why the council have approved plans for a house, it is just going to stick out like a sore thumb. It's not in keeping and it will be an eye-sore,' he said.
'I also don't like the fact they are going to have windows put into their roofs, they are just going to be looking into everyone's gardens at the back.'
David Fields described the 1930s estate, which also includes two other roads, as 'bungalow land', adding the original builder had taken 'great pride in the design.'
He said: 'To build a first floor development to this bungalow would be totally out of character with the area and adjacent bungalows.
'We are particularly concerned about lost privacy to our very private rear gardens. That's why we moved here to bungalow land, where a 6ft fence is all you need for privacy.'
Mr Defeo, who has lived on the street for five years, said he thought the reaction had been 'really strange', adding a number of neighbours had carried out loft conversions.
Backlash: The residents of the cul-de-sac, pictured, wrote letters of objection to the council but planning permission was still granted
Worrying trend: Some residents fear there will soon be other houses popping up on the street, ruining the character of 'bungalow land'
His development will see two bedrooms and a bathroom built on the second floor, the roof height raised by 15in and a dromer window installed.
He said: 'Loads of people have gone into their lofts, and there is a housing estate at the bottom of my road.
'I'm just trying to follow planning law and do things properly, I guess the people objecting don't know what building regulations are.
'They say it will affect their privacy but I was going to build a 6ft fence at end of my garden not to long ago and the neighbour asked me not to, otherwise she wouldn't be able to see me, it's just silly.
'We just want a hobby room for my wife as she does sewing and quilting for charities, and we want a second bathroom as well, we just don't have the space to do it.
'I'm not building a tower block I'm just going up 400mm, it's sloped as well so there is no way it can cast a shadow. This is all really strange as we have always got on well with the neighbours, but I'm not going to be put off by them, it's only a planning application nothing else.'
Daniel Rainback, from Design & Development Associates Ltd, who acted on behalf of Mr Defeo in the preparation of plans, added: 'While it is alarming to see so many objections, we had worked closely with the planning department to ensure impact on the street scene was minimal while create enough head height to facilitate the works.'
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