It is a neighbourly row of epic proportions. But it seemingly boils down to just one thing: Who can build the tallest mansion on millionaire's row.
The extraordinary dispute began when John and Deborah Yeoman bought a traditional £1.7million home overlooking the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula in Dorset in 2001 – only to demolish it.
In its place, they constructed a luxurious three-storey house with an indoor pool, today worth £8.8million.
But then businessman Jeremy Gardner, who owned a lucrative consultancy firm, purchased the relatively modest detached property next door for £2.8million in 2015.
He promptly secured planning permission to knock it down and replace it with an ultra-modern, four-storey mansion.
Despite having razed and replaced their own home, the Yeomans declared themselves anti-development – and unsuccessfully objected to the scheme, saying in a complaint made in planning documents that the house would dwarf theirs and 'ruin the skyline' where they live, near Poole Harbour.
Mr Gardner's new, bigger home was completed two years ago. Duly dwarfed, a planning application shows company director and property investor Mr Yeoman, 70, now intends to 'reassert the hierarchy of built form' by bulldozing his house after just 20 years – and replacing it with a giant flat-roofed, five-storey property.
It would boast a new indoor pool, sauna and steam room, a classic car garage, home cinema, boat storage room and a bar, in addition to five family bedrooms, two guest rooms, sea-view balconies on every floor and a lift.
Notably, the mansion will be a few inches taller than their neighbour's home.
Mr Gardner, despite having so enlarged his own home, has duly objected to the Yeomans' plans, saying the house should be just four storeys – which would make it shorter than his.
He says in objection: 'The proposed development is absolutely huge, a five-storey block of more than 17,000 sq ft, with 17 car parking bays.
'That is 16 times the size of an average UK home, and considerably higher and larger than any of the other two, three and four storey waterfront houses along [the street].
'Whilst most residents would have no objections to a replacement family home, the sheer size of the proposed block is completely at odds with the other properties. The height should be reduced to four storeys.'
Other neighbours fear the 17 parking spaces planned by the Yeomans would make it easy to turn the development into flats. The family, who had plans for a six-storey replacement rejected last year, are pressing for permission for the five-storey property that would allow them to look down on Mr Gardner once more.
According to Mr Yeoman's planning agent, Giles Moir, multiple letters of objection citing the size of the development have been sparked by a flyer produced by Mr Gardner, which amounts to him 'orchestrating an unashamed campaign of misinformation'.
Mr Moir added: 'The flyer is an attempt to provoke objections to the proposal.' The Yeomans and Mr Gardner last night declined to comment.
Harry Redknapp is among the residents of famously expensive Sandbanks, and is currently building a £12million Italianate villa in the area.
On the road where the warring neighbours live – boasting fine views of Brownsea Island, where Lord Baden-Powell staged the first scout camp – nothing has sold for under £1million in years.
