One man's dream of turning his home into a bed-and-breakfast at Bonza Bay has horrified his neighbours.

Mark Trow and his wife Carmen, who have spent two years building the luxurious double-storey home, have just moved back in, although the finishing touches, including carpeting and tiling, still need to be completed.

In between unpacking and supervising the builders, Carmen told the Dispatch they hoped to open for business early next year.

And that has left her neighbours, including Janice Perry, less than excited at the prospect.

"It is right on top of us," she said.

Last year, Perry requested that Buffalo City Municipality investigate the plans "as most residents ... are horrified at the size of the building".

Another of the neighbours, Jenny Copeland, objected on the same grounds.

"(The building) will be huge and totally out of keeping with the quaintness of Bonza Bay," she said.

But city engineers disagreed after visiting the site. They gave the building plans their seal of approval.

And at last week's council meeting, the application to rezone the site for a B&B was approved.

BCM development planning director Craig Sam said such applications were judged on the desirability of the intended business and the nature of the site.

"In this case, the site met all requirements, and because the market is saying 'bring us more B&Bs', we felt justified in approving it," he said.

Sam's report to council said that, although the building was large, it was within the prescribed two-storey height restriction.

Both Perry and Copeland were also concerned that the B&B would bring extra traffic to the area's narrow streets.

"Syringa Avenue is already a death trap for children and animals," said Copeland. Her husband Chris said his biggest concern was how the B&B owners would provide parking for their guests.

In Lotus Avenue only two cars can pass each other with little space left over.

But the council approved Trow's application on the basis that he provide six parking bays for guests, as per the requirements for a four-bedroom B&B.

In a written reply, Trow said that there was a need for upmarket accommodation in the area, citing the fact that there was only one other B&B in his road.

As for noise, his neighbours had nothing to worry about from his guests.

"The guests ... will be businessmen types who will need to get a good night's rest, so I don?t understand how the noise factor can come into the equation," he said.

However, Perry and Copeland were more concerned about Trow than his guests.

"Mr Trow has always proved to be a totally arrogant and inconsiderate neighbour, with wild parties and noisy guests - with no concern for the environment, neighbours or pets," said Perry.

Trow, a qualified civil engineer, shrugged off the accusations.

"You always get complaints, I just tried to respond to these as a normal person would, in general terms," he said.

Late last week, builders were tiling the pool, adding decorative stonework to a fireplace, fitting cupboards in the kitchen and finishing the downstairs bar.

At the entrance, a stone sculpture kept guard, and in the dining-room two dugout canoes, polished to a fine sheen, waited to be placed. Carmen Trow pointed out they were among items imported from Bali.

Daily Dipatch
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge