Wells WI fights planning row as £4,000-a-week party house rises next door

A 100-year-old Wells Women's Institute has gone to war with a nearby private rental described as a 'party house' after a plunge pool and hot tub were installed in the garden of the former Wells Next The Sea youth hostel that has been converted into a £4,000-a-week property sleeping up to 20 guests. The 47-member Wells WI has used the Women's Institute Hall behind the former youth hostel since the 1920s, but the development next door has unsettled the community hub and raised concerns about parking, noise and access for elderly members.

Architect Tom Leahy bought the site for £400,000 in April 2024 and last year won approval to convert the property and install a plunge pool. He has now applied for retrospective planning permission for further changes, including moving the pool to within a few feet of the WI Hall and adding a hot tub and an outdoor kitchen area with a pizza oven and barbecue. The plan has drawn 18 objections so far, including from Wells Town Council, which argues the alterations undermine the Wells neighbourhood plan and residents’ privacy.

Wells WI says the pool has effectively been turned 90 degrees, blocking off space the institute previously used for parking and turning around. In a letter to North Norfolk District Council, the WI described the changes as unapproved alterations that have removed space essential to its operations and could impact the membership, particularly elderly members who rely on easy access to the hall. The letter also warned that the noise and potential disturbance from the private rental could deter current and future members and threaten the sustainability of the WI.

The Wells Town Council joined the objections, with town clerk Emma Gunhouse noting that the council stands by its objections to the original application and opposes the recent alterations, which she said ride roughshod over the Wells neighbourhood plan and residents’ rights to private life. An inspection of the site reportedly found hard landscaping not included in the original submission, fueling concerns about retrospective changes.

Thelma Short, 83, who has used the WI hall for 20 years, described the impact in emotional terms: “We won't be able to get to it, old people like me carrying a cake down. It's heart-breaking.” Another objector argued that the developer is proceeding with highly inappropriate works without planning consent and without regard for private and family life. The WI community said meetings at the hall provide companionship and mental wellbeing, and restricted access could sap participation and support for members who rely on the space for social and welfare activities.

Proponents of the project say the villa’s alterations are controlled and managed by the operator, who claims the pool is more than a metre from the WI Hall and that noise is monitored. Leahy has said the pool’s rotation was necessary after two manhole covers were found during gravel clearance with access to drains beneath the WI Hall, and he argued the risk of fire was not a valid concern. He also noted that guests are warned via noise-monitoring alerts and that repeat offenders would lose deposits.

The property, listed on the Finest Retreats site as turned into “a bright, modern house full of unique spaces for entertaining and sleeping up to 20 guests,” is currently advertised at about £3,938 per week. Leahy, who runs six similar properties nationwide, says he is confident the retrospective application will be approved and asserts that the project will not significantly affect neighboring amenity.

North Norfolk District Council will decide the retrospective application at a future date, with the council under pressure from local residents and Wells WI to uphold planning and neighbourly considerations before any permission is granted.