An amazing £6million mansion on the Norfolk coast up for grabs in an Omaze prize draw has been revealed to be in breach of planning regulations.
The Larkfields mansion in the upmarket seaside resort village of Blakeney has not been built to approved plans, according to officials at North Norfolk District Council (NNDC).
The gorgeous three-bedroom house – the first prize in a Comic Relief fundraiser raffle Omaze is collaborating with – has been touted as the company’s biggest prize ever. It also comes with a Porsche 911 Carrera and £250,000 cash.
It comes after questions arose about the property earlier this month, when a member of the public pointed out the beach house seemed to be larger than what was approved in plans, prompting a council investigation.
The council is due to meet next week to decide what to do next – which could lead to them requesting changes are made to the property.
It is unclear whether a solution will be found before the winner is announced live on BBC One next month, during the Red Nose Day broadcast, as reported by the Eastern Daily Press.
But Omaze insist that the winner will not be forced to pay up to make any potential changes to the property needed to make it compliant.
The home has been blasted across TV and web adverts for the Comic Relief fundraiser raffle, featuring presenter Rylan Clark, chef Jamie Oliver, comedian Lenny Henry and presenter Davina McCall, among other celebrities, talking up the home.
An amazing £6million mansion on the Norfolk coast (pictured) up for grabs in an Omaze prize draw has been revealed to be in breach of planning regulations
The Larkfields mansion (pictured) in the upmarket seaside resort village of Blakeney has not been built to approved plans, according to officials at North Norfolk District Council (NNDC)
The gorgeous three-bedroom house (pictured) – the first prize in a Comic Relief fundraiser raffle Omaze is collaborating with – has been touted as the company’s biggest prize ever
The home was designed to look like the New England-style, lavish homes in American seaside resort the Hamptons, in the Long Island area of New York state.
Photographs and floor plans of the home, published by Omaze, do not seem to match what was approved by NNDC in 2020.
The whistleblower who tipped off the council, but does not want to be named, said: ‘It seems not to have been built to planning permission.’
In 2020, permission was granted for a previous property onsite to be demolished and a three-bedroom replacement built.
Further permission was granted in 2021 for changes to the size of the windows and extension of a flat roof veranda.
But the ground floor, for instance, appears now to have a much larger eastern side, dubbed a ‘boot room’, than was originally approved.
And there are outbuildings, a swimming pool and a tennis court which do not seem to have planning permission at all.
One condition of the property’s original planning permission was the removal of permitted development rights – so additional construction of features like a pool or tennis court would require council approval.
There are outbuildings, a swimming pool (pictured) and a tennis court which do not seem to have planning permission at all
The original ground floor plans, approved in 2020, for the Larkfields mansion on the north Norfolk coast
Photographs and floor plans of the home, since published by Omaze, do not seem to match what was approved by NNDC in 2020. The ground floor (pictured), for instance, appears now to have a much larger eastern side, dubbed a ‘boot room’, than was originally approved
NNDC cabinet member Andrew Brown said: ‘An investigation has been carried out internally and externally by the enforcement team. This has found breaches which are under consideration.’
The council might not have the power to address some of the breaches because of a policy known until recently as the four-year rule. It means retrospective planning permission can be granted if there have been no objections raised for four years.
But as of April 2024, this has now actually been replaced with a ten-year rule – much harder to overcome.
If Larkfields was not given retrospective planning permission, an appeal could be made to the Planning Inspectorate. But if that failed, the owner could well be forced to demolish the illegal areas.
It means the next step is for the NNDC enforcement board to discuss which of the breaches they have found are ‘active’ and which are not, depending on when the aspect of the property at hand was developed.
For the ‘active’ breaches, the council will then deliberate about whether there is any potential harm caused by them.
The picturesque coastal village of Blakeney falls within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – so property development in the area is tightly controlled.
Mr Brown confirmed: ‘The development has not been made in accordance with the original plans therefore there are potential breaches of planning conditions.
If Larkfields (pictured) was not given retrospective planning permission, an appeal could be made to the Planning Inspectorate. But if that failed, the owner could well be forced to demolish the illegal areas
The tennis court (pictured) also does not seem to have been subject to a planning application
‘However it will have gained planning consent if completed within a certain time period. It is all about the timing of when the alterations were made.’
Fixing potential breaches could be a real hassle – and cost a pretty penny.
In nearby village Cley-next-the-Sea, West End producer Adam Speigel has had to rebuild his Arcady home after, during a long planning battle, it was found to be bigger than what was approved.
Entries for the competition closed last Sunday.
An Omaze spokesperson said: ‘Omaze guarantees that no house winner would ever have to incur any costs whatsoever to remedy an alleged historical planning breach.
‘Omaze further guarantees that all house prizes are transferred to winners with good and marketable title.’
The company also said earlier this month: ‘As with all its properties, Omaze and its team of expert professional advisers conducted a thorough due diligence exercise prior to purchase, to ensure that the property in Norfolk complies with all relevant planning and building regulations – as well as being of the highest design and build standards.
‘We are happy to confirm that the property passed all surveys and checks.
The council is due to meet next week to decide what to do next – which could lead to them requesting changes are made to the property
‘Omaze is looking forward to raising significant funds from this prize draw for its charity partner, Comic Relief.’
The for-profit company, which started in the US but launched in the UK in 2020, runs raffles with multi-million pound homes, cash and other prizes up for grabs. Omaze gives a minimum of £1million to the charity partners in each draw it does.
It has partnered with Comic Relief for the national fundraising event’s 40th anniversary.
Omaze was contacted for comment.
