Airbnb owner forced to tear down ‘monstrous prison camp watchtower'
The 'monstrous' structure was built at the £5,000 ($A10,300)-a-week holiday let in Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales, without planning permission, The Sun reports.
Locals nearby say the eyesore addition is disturbing their day-to-day lives in a seaside town.
Planning permission for the towering 'garden room' was turned down last year.
Neighbours are celebrating after another bid has now also been rejected by officials who say the tower must be removed.
Neighbour Nick Whitmore, 35, who lives with his partner and three young children said their 'dream home' had been marred by the platform and cabin.
'It's advertised on Airbnb year-round, bringing noise, light pollution, and worse,' Mr Whitmore said.
'The impact on my partner, our three children, and our neighbours is horrendous.
'The structure dominates our house and garden, as well as our neighbours'. It looks into my daughter's bedroom.
MORE: Fresh blow for Perry amid split
'Let go': Common item Mariah refuses to own
'Never coming back': Depp reveals sad demise
Mr Whitmore added: 'We are a local, hardworking family with three children under the age of 10.
'My partner and I worked very, very hard to buy our dream home, just up the road from the children's school, various public parks, with a bedroom for each of our children, and a nice garden for them to enjoy.
'This has now been taken away from us as we back onto a busy Airbnb and, since Jan 2024, a building site.'
The holiday let was purchased by a Sheffield-based property owner in December 2023.
Neighbours reported the structure to the council and JAM Domestic Properties Ltd submitted a planning application – which was refused.
The owners had described the 'breathtaking' £700,000 ($A1.4 million) four-bedroom property as 'the epitome of luxury'.
'We alerted Conwy council who asked the company to stop work,' Mr Whitmore.
'They did, and submitted a retrospective planning application, which was refused in June 2024 after numerous neighbour objections.
'With no appeal by the 16 December 2024 deadline, we thought the council would follow through and move to enforce their own refusal.
'We assumed relief was near. Instead, two weeks ago, earlier in March 2025, the owner submitted a near-identical planning application.
'We've now endured over 15 months of this situation, with Conwy sitting on their hands while local families and residents suffer daily.'
Families living next-door are furious at the 13 metre high 'concrete plateau' giving clear views into their properties and blighting their lives.
Work on the tower – which would provide panoramic views of the village and neighbouring Penrhyn Bay – began last year, only to be paused when a planning application was turned down.
The holiday rental – called Gardd y Llys – is a contemporary property in one of the most up-market residential areas of Rhos-on-Sea.
'OVERBEARING'
Neighbours Stephen and Hazel Walburn also wrote a letter of objection to the council.
'The cabin is 13m above our main living area and certainly feels to us to be out of character and overbearing,' they wrote.
'Its scale and appearance are unlike other garden buildings in the area. It fails to enhance the local environment, commanding attention not unlike a prison camp watchtower.'
They added: 'It dominates the roofscape and is alien and incongruous.'
Conwy council said: 'An enforcement notice has been served which requires the removal of
the structure.'
The notice was served on 17 June and the developer has been given 10 weeks from that date to launch an appeal.
The application by JAM Domestic Properties read: 'Views from the raised platform into neighbouring properties were recognised as being available from the initial planning consent.
'The proposed development is not considered to lead to an acceptable increase to this and is not considered to have a detrimental impact on privacy or residential amenity to neighbouring properties, and therefore would be acceptable on this basis.'
A Conwy Council spokeswoman previously said: 'Planning permission was granted in 2016 for a smaller garden structure on this site.
'In February 2024, it was brought to our attention that a larger outbuilding was being constructed.
'Following an investigation by the planning enforcement officer, the owners agreed to cease work and to submit a planning application to regularise the work.
Parts of this story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.
MORE: 'Lonely': Who gets what in Holly, ex split
'Big allure': Secret MJ homes reveal sad life
Wild reason Charles can't kick Andrew out
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- News.com.au
A flight rule that has long frustrated travellers has finally been scrapped
Two UK airports have already scrapped strict liquid rules – and European airports are now following. Earlier this month, Birmingham Airport and Edinburgh Airport confirmed that the strict 100ml restrictions had been given the boot. The first UK airports to do so, it means passengers can take up to two litres of liquids in their hand luggage for the first time in nearly 20 years. And European airports are now following suit. The European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) tested the new screening last month, with it now being introduced. Milan Airport has already rolled out the new rules at parts of the airport. The website states: 'At Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa Terminal 1, it is once again permitted to carry liquids, aerosols, and gels in individual containers with a maximum capacity of 2 litres, without the need to separate them from hand luggage.' It is yet to be rolled out in Terminal 2. Rome has also rolled out the new rules, confirming on the website: 'Starting from July 26, 2025, in compliance with new European Commission regulations, the transport of liquids in hand luggage will be allowed in containers with a capacity of up to 2 litres. 'Liquid containers with a capacity greater than 2L may be transported in hand luggage only if empty; otherwise, they must be checked in with hold luggage at the check-in desk.' Other airports that are likely to follow suit are large hubs such as Amsterdam. But the new CT scanners that allow the liquid rules to be scrapped are extremely expensive. London Heathrow is expected to pay a huge £1 billion ($A1.78b) to roll out the new machines. The airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye said the introduction of new machines was slow as they had 'as many scanners as all of the British airports put together'. But the cost and labour means smaller airports across Europe are unlikely to be scrapping the rules any time soon. It is also not mandatory – so many resist rolling out the machines. Brits are still urged to check the liquid rules before flying from any airport. The strict 100ml liquid rules were rolled out in 2006 after a thwarted terror attack which would use liquid bombs in water bottles. The restrictions were initially scrapped last summer with airports like London City allowing 2 litres of liquids. However, they were reversed just weeks later by the government. And, while some parts of the UK and Europe are embracing the changes, Australia is sticking with the long-standing liquid limits for now. According to the Australian Government's TravelSECURE guidelines, passengers flying from Australian airports are still restricted to carrying liquids, aerosols and gels in containers no larger than 100ml. All items must be sealed in a single, clear, resealable plastic bag no larger than one litre, with only one bag allowed per passenger, including children.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
'These are distressing times': call for faster mining approvals following Dartbrook job cuts
New England MP Barnaby Joyce has called for the accelerated approval of Upper Hunter mining projects in order to offset the job losses at Dartbrook coal mine. Dartbrook, an underground thermal coal joint-venture by Australian Pacific Coal and Tetra Resources, went into external administration and receivership earlier this month after failing to meet its obligations for a $174 million loan to Singaporean commodities giant Vitol. The mine's receivers, FTI Consulting, terminated 104 miners or more than two-thirds of the workforce, earlier this week. It said in a statement making the mass terminations "wasn't an easy decision" but it was "necessary for Dartbrook's long-term future". Mr Joyce, whose New England electorate now incorporates Muswellbrook, said the job losses were not the result of a downturn in the coal industry. "Structurally, there's nothing wrong with it (Dartbrook), it's just carrying too much debt," Mr Joyce said. "People should not read the issues of Dartbrook as issues with the coal industry; the issues are with its internal financial management." "The guys who have lost their jobs shouldn't have lost their jobs because there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the market that they're in." He called on the state government to fast-track approvals for other mining projects in the region. "We have to make sure that the other mines in the area get their approvals," Mr Joyce said. "That's how we are going to absorb these jobs. There is absolute capacity in other precincts to absorb these jobs overnight. But if you are being forced to wait seven or eight years for approval, then unemployment is going to rise as people wait. "The Hunter Valley is the money bag for NSW, but if we take too long to open zippers, you are not going to have any money." In a statement, Muswellbrook Council said it was deeply concerned about how the job losses at Dartbrook Mine would affect workers, their families and the community. "Our thoughts are with those impacted, including local businesses owed significant amounts that compromise people's livelihoods. These are distressing times. The effects are felt by our whole community," the statement said. "Muswellbrook Shire Council's role is defined: to advocate for residents and workers in our Shire and ensure that decisions are transparent, accountable and prioritise our community. Council is pursuing every avenue to help those affected, directly and indirectly." The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) said it would fight for workers in the Fair Work Commission. Minutes from a creditors' meeting held earlier this month showed that at least 51 companies claimed they were owed money. The total debts exceed $202 million. The largest creditor was UK-based non-bank loan agency, Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS), which claimed it was owed more than $800 million. The mine restarted last year after being in care and maintenance for 17 years. The Independent Planning Commission approved an amended application to reopen the mine in 2019, despite community opposition. The conditions stipulated that the mine would have to use the Hunter Tunnel rather than transport coal by truck. It must also use existing processing infrastructure and cannot mine the Piercefield Seam to reduce groundwater impact. New England MP Barnaby Joyce has called for the accelerated approval of Upper Hunter mining projects in order to offset the job losses at Dartbrook coal mine. Dartbrook, an underground thermal coal joint-venture by Australian Pacific Coal and Tetra Resources, went into external administration and receivership earlier this month after failing to meet its obligations for a $174 million loan to Singaporean commodities giant Vitol. The mine's receivers, FTI Consulting, terminated 104 miners or more than two-thirds of the workforce, earlier this week. It said in a statement making the mass terminations "wasn't an easy decision" but it was "necessary for Dartbrook's long-term future". Mr Joyce, whose New England electorate now incorporates Muswellbrook, said the job losses were not the result of a downturn in the coal industry. "Structurally, there's nothing wrong with it (Dartbrook), it's just carrying too much debt," Mr Joyce said. "People should not read the issues of Dartbrook as issues with the coal industry; the issues are with its internal financial management." "The guys who have lost their jobs shouldn't have lost their jobs because there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the market that they're in." He called on the state government to fast-track approvals for other mining projects in the region. "We have to make sure that the other mines in the area get their approvals," Mr Joyce said. "That's how we are going to absorb these jobs. There is absolute capacity in other precincts to absorb these jobs overnight. But if you are being forced to wait seven or eight years for approval, then unemployment is going to rise as people wait. "The Hunter Valley is the money bag for NSW, but if we take too long to open zippers, you are not going to have any money." In a statement, Muswellbrook Council said it was deeply concerned about how the job losses at Dartbrook Mine would affect workers, their families and the community. "Our thoughts are with those impacted, including local businesses owed significant amounts that compromise people's livelihoods. These are distressing times. The effects are felt by our whole community," the statement said. "Muswellbrook Shire Council's role is defined: to advocate for residents and workers in our Shire and ensure that decisions are transparent, accountable and prioritise our community. Council is pursuing every avenue to help those affected, directly and indirectly." The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) said it would fight for workers in the Fair Work Commission. Minutes from a creditors' meeting held earlier this month showed that at least 51 companies claimed they were owed money. The total debts exceed $202 million. The largest creditor was UK-based non-bank loan agency, Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS), which claimed it was owed more than $800 million. The mine restarted last year after being in care and maintenance for 17 years. The Independent Planning Commission approved an amended application to reopen the mine in 2019, despite community opposition. The conditions stipulated that the mine would have to use the Hunter Tunnel rather than transport coal by truck. It must also use existing processing infrastructure and cannot mine the Piercefield Seam to reduce groundwater impact. New England MP Barnaby Joyce has called for the accelerated approval of Upper Hunter mining projects in order to offset the job losses at Dartbrook coal mine. Dartbrook, an underground thermal coal joint-venture by Australian Pacific Coal and Tetra Resources, went into external administration and receivership earlier this month after failing to meet its obligations for a $174 million loan to Singaporean commodities giant Vitol. The mine's receivers, FTI Consulting, terminated 104 miners or more than two-thirds of the workforce, earlier this week. It said in a statement making the mass terminations "wasn't an easy decision" but it was "necessary for Dartbrook's long-term future". Mr Joyce, whose New England electorate now incorporates Muswellbrook, said the job losses were not the result of a downturn in the coal industry. "Structurally, there's nothing wrong with it (Dartbrook), it's just carrying too much debt," Mr Joyce said. "People should not read the issues of Dartbrook as issues with the coal industry; the issues are with its internal financial management." "The guys who have lost their jobs shouldn't have lost their jobs because there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the market that they're in." He called on the state government to fast-track approvals for other mining projects in the region. "We have to make sure that the other mines in the area get their approvals," Mr Joyce said. "That's how we are going to absorb these jobs. There is absolute capacity in other precincts to absorb these jobs overnight. But if you are being forced to wait seven or eight years for approval, then unemployment is going to rise as people wait. "The Hunter Valley is the money bag for NSW, but if we take too long to open zippers, you are not going to have any money." In a statement, Muswellbrook Council said it was deeply concerned about how the job losses at Dartbrook Mine would affect workers, their families and the community. "Our thoughts are with those impacted, including local businesses owed significant amounts that compromise people's livelihoods. These are distressing times. The effects are felt by our whole community," the statement said. "Muswellbrook Shire Council's role is defined: to advocate for residents and workers in our Shire and ensure that decisions are transparent, accountable and prioritise our community. Council is pursuing every avenue to help those affected, directly and indirectly." The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) said it would fight for workers in the Fair Work Commission. Minutes from a creditors' meeting held earlier this month showed that at least 51 companies claimed they were owed money. The total debts exceed $202 million. The largest creditor was UK-based non-bank loan agency, Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS), which claimed it was owed more than $800 million. The mine restarted last year after being in care and maintenance for 17 years. The Independent Planning Commission approved an amended application to reopen the mine in 2019, despite community opposition. The conditions stipulated that the mine would have to use the Hunter Tunnel rather than transport coal by truck. It must also use existing processing infrastructure and cannot mine the Piercefield Seam to reduce groundwater impact. New England MP Barnaby Joyce has called for the accelerated approval of Upper Hunter mining projects in order to offset the job losses at Dartbrook coal mine. Dartbrook, an underground thermal coal joint-venture by Australian Pacific Coal and Tetra Resources, went into external administration and receivership earlier this month after failing to meet its obligations for a $174 million loan to Singaporean commodities giant Vitol. The mine's receivers, FTI Consulting, terminated 104 miners or more than two-thirds of the workforce, earlier this week. It said in a statement making the mass terminations "wasn't an easy decision" but it was "necessary for Dartbrook's long-term future". Mr Joyce, whose New England electorate now incorporates Muswellbrook, said the job losses were not the result of a downturn in the coal industry. "Structurally, there's nothing wrong with it (Dartbrook), it's just carrying too much debt," Mr Joyce said. "People should not read the issues of Dartbrook as issues with the coal industry; the issues are with its internal financial management." "The guys who have lost their jobs shouldn't have lost their jobs because there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the market that they're in." He called on the state government to fast-track approvals for other mining projects in the region. "We have to make sure that the other mines in the area get their approvals," Mr Joyce said. "That's how we are going to absorb these jobs. There is absolute capacity in other precincts to absorb these jobs overnight. But if you are being forced to wait seven or eight years for approval, then unemployment is going to rise as people wait. "The Hunter Valley is the money bag for NSW, but if we take too long to open zippers, you are not going to have any money." In a statement, Muswellbrook Council said it was deeply concerned about how the job losses at Dartbrook Mine would affect workers, their families and the community. "Our thoughts are with those impacted, including local businesses owed significant amounts that compromise people's livelihoods. These are distressing times. The effects are felt by our whole community," the statement said. "Muswellbrook Shire Council's role is defined: to advocate for residents and workers in our Shire and ensure that decisions are transparent, accountable and prioritise our community. Council is pursuing every avenue to help those affected, directly and indirectly." The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) said it would fight for workers in the Fair Work Commission. Minutes from a creditors' meeting held earlier this month showed that at least 51 companies claimed they were owed money. The total debts exceed $202 million. The largest creditor was UK-based non-bank loan agency, Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS), which claimed it was owed more than $800 million. The mine restarted last year after being in care and maintenance for 17 years. The Independent Planning Commission approved an amended application to reopen the mine in 2019, despite community opposition. The conditions stipulated that the mine would have to use the Hunter Tunnel rather than transport coal by truck. It must also use existing processing infrastructure and cannot mine the Piercefield Seam to reduce groundwater impact.
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Threat or a thought bubble, Trump's new tariff idea spells trouble for Australia
It could be a throw-away line or a massive blow to the Australian economy delivered by US President Donald Trump. Australia thought it was relatively safe from Trump's tariff war. It turns out we could have been wrong. Once again, the US president seemed to be confirming a shift in his trade policy as an aside in a larger press conference. Trump loves to boast about his freewheeling speaking style — his so-called "weave," where he jumps from topic to topic in a way that might make someone think he's lost his train of thought, though he insists it's always clear in the end. He was holding court at his Turnberry Golf Course in Scotland. He was visiting a foreign country — the UK — but it was him playing host to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and setting the terms of the interaction. There were plenty of awkward moments for Sir Keir, who had to politely listen to Trump rail against the scourge of wind farms, which he claimed were ruining the views from his golf course, and how damaging he believed illegal immigration had been to Britain. But the hardest part for the Australian prime minister to hear was likely when Trump began talking about the next stage of his one-man tariff offensive against the world. Fresh off claiming an agreement had been reached with the European Union — although details remain elusive — Trump acknowledged that doing individual trade deals with other countries was quite time-consuming. Who would've thought? Once again, he remarked with seemingly genuine shock at how many countries exist in the world: "You have 200 countries — more. People don't get that." Even though he'd previously boasted that countries were desperate to do deals with him, he now seemed resigned to the fact that he couldn't get them individually ticked off. So, he has a more efficient idea: "We're going to be setting a tariff for essentially the rest of the world. And that's what they're going to pay if they want to do business in the United States. Because you can't sit down and make 200 deals." Sound familiar? Back in April, during his "Liberation Day" announcement, Trump said almost all countries would be hit with a 10 per cent "baseline" tariff. Many were also slapped with higher "reciprocal" rates, though most of those were subsequently put on hold. They're due to come into effect this week for countries that haven't struck deals with the US. Australia only received the baseline rate, largely because it buys more from the US than it sells. But Trump clearly doesn't think that baseline rate cuts it anymore. He said it would likely be lifted to "somewhere in the 15 to 20 per cent range", an idea he had first floated during a phone interview with NBC earlier this month. If this comes to pass — and it's a big "if", given Trump's tendency to announce policy one day and backtrack the next — it would be a massive economic blow to Australian businesses that export to the US. While the current 10 per cent impost makes Australian products more expensive for US consumers and less competitive relative to American goods, it was thought to give Australian businesses a leg up compared to countries hit with reciprocal tariffs. It had looked like 10 per cent was the floor rate, and no other country would receive a more favourable arrangement. It also gave Australia little incentive to negotiate a better deal with the US, since the Trump administration didn't seem willing to go lower than 10 per cent or drop it entirely. But if Trump now imposes a 20 per cent baseline tariff, Australia will be disadvantaged compared to countries that have already struck better deals — or at least "frameworks" of deals. The UK, Japan, and now the EU have all said they've secured deals where their exports to the US are hit with a 15 per cent duty. So, from being the least badly treated friend, Australia might now be getting worse treatment than many large economies. It would also seem, on face value, to be clearly unfair, even based on Trump's own questionable tariff logic. Australia had a lower rate because the administration said it was allowing better access for US goods. But now it may well face a higher tariff than the EU, which Trump has previously bashed as one of the most egregious blockers of American trade ambitions. Six months into his second term, it's difficult to know when Trump is clearly stating a new policy or just thinking out loud in front of the world's media. But his words seem pretty clear on this occasion: he's planning to raise the baseline tariff, and that's going to hurt Australian businesses. Trump's Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, said last week that Trump wasn't planning to hike the baseline. But in the Trump administration, the only word that seems to matter is his. Perhaps it's a negotiating tactic, though countries only facing the baseline tariff weren't even sent the recent letters Trump fired off, imploring leaders to do a deal. Even if this is just a thought bubble, Australia's leaders will need to take it seriously — because when it comes to Trump, thought bubbles can be highly consequential.
