A ROUND-the-world sailor has run into a storm after converting an old shed previously used as an auction room into a home for his son during lockdown.

John Bottomley wanted to retrospectively change the use of the wooden shed in Wellington Terrace to residential but Falmouth Town Council's planning committee objected after a neighbour complained about the windows directly overlooking her garden.

Nicola Kelly told councillors that when she first moved in next door 11 years ago the shed was old and derelict and used as a warehouse but she was not consulted when Mr Bottomly started to renovate the building 18 months ago.

She said Mr Bottomley's son had come back in April to live there because of Covid and there had been no chance to have any kind of conversation about it and now her back garden was completely overlooked by windows at every level.

"I have lost all privacy," she said. "The impact on my family with overlooking has been tremendous. We cannot use the garden as the windows are so close feels like we have invited our neighbour to dinner."

She said what Mr Bottomley had done with the building was an improvement but it had been made residential without any thought as to what impact it would have over a lifetime as people would use it in different ways.

Mr Bottomley told councillors that he had owned the property for 20 years and had been trying to sail around the world when his son told him he wanted somewhere to live and it was in this property. He said it had previously been in a bad state of repair and something needed to be done. He said it had been refurbished to a high standard.

"Almost nothing has changed," he said "It is all just new. I know the neighbour is objecting to overlooking windows. The windows have been here for 100 years unchanged. They are also high up and don't look down when you look out. I have put opaque glass in so you can't look out onto the neighbour's terrace."

After discussing the application councillors voted to recommend refusal over serious overlooking and fitness of the property as residential recommending that Mr Bottomley and Mrs Kelly have a chat with the officer to reach a compromise.