Multimillionaire is forced to downsize plans for his £8.8million Sandbanks mansion after bid to make it the tallest house on street

A multimillionaire has been forced to downsize plans for his £8.8million Sandbanks mansion after a bid to make it the tallest house on street.

John Yeoman and his wife Deborah had proposals for six and five-storey harbourside homes rejected by officials but eventually settled for a four-floor property.

Planners are now expected to green light plans for the development - the latest in a string of expansive homes popping up in the millionaire's playground in Dorset.

The couple are set to demolish their current luxury home overlooking Poole Harbour despite it being just 20 years old.

Before they moved into their existing mansion, the Yeomans lived in a detached house in sought-after Elms Avenue - which they bought in 2001 for £1.7m - but demolished it several years later.

The ruling is bittersweet for Mr Yeoman who has failed in his goal of having a bigger home than his nextdoor neighbour Jeremy Gardner.

In 2015 company director Mr Gardner bought a detached house for £2.8m and secured permission to tear it down and replace it with an ultra-modern four-storey mansion.

The move upset the Yeomans who said the new home would dwarf theirs and 'ruin the skyline' of the street, but plans were approved.

Millionaire couple Deborah and John Yeoman, pictured, have been forced to downsize plans for their £8.8m Sandbanks mansion

They have had to settle for four-storey plans for their property, pictured second from left, after a failed bid to make it taller than their neighbour Jeremy Gardner's, centre

Planners are now expected to green light plans for the development, pictured third from left - the latest in a string of expansive homes popping up in the millionaire's playground in Dorset

They retaliated by trying to win consent for a six-storey home, which was refused by BCP Council.

The couple then submitted revised plans for a five-storey house which were also turned down, and their appeal dismissed again.

The plans for a four-storey property remove a basement level, but increase the footprint on the upper floors, making them appear bulkier.

The plans indicate the ground floor would have an open plan living space with a 'show kitchen' and a 'working kitchen' hidden behind. There would also be a gym, swimming pool complex and snug.

The first floor shows an entertainment room with a bar, a home cinema and a large home office and the second floor would have three en suite bedrooms, a 'private lounge' and children's playroom.

On the top floor is a large master bedroom suite with a day room, bathroom and dressing room, another two en suite bedrooms and a master study.

The plans also show a large garage and boat store.

Neighbours called the design 'bulky and oppressive' and accused the Yeomans of ignoring the previous concerns of planning officers and inspectors.

Businessman Jeremy Gardner, pictured, purchased the relatively modest detached property next door for £2.8m in 2015 

Pictured: The new plans for John Yeoman's house. The couple are set to demolish their existing luxury home overlooking Poole Harbour despite it being just 20 years old

Mr Gardner said: 'The new application is for an even larger building and seems to completely ignore the planning officers and appeal inspectors reports that refused / dismissed the previous applications.

'The massive bulk of the building extending such a long way at the front towards the road and the extension at the back towards the harbour is oppressive, overshadowing and a huge bulk on the skyline.

'The very large balconies that have been introduced on the upper level extend a long way beyond the building line, result in overlooking, loss of privacy and loss of enjoyment of our outside spaces.

'There is a clear building line along the Elms Avenue waterfront with all the other homes respecting this.

'The proposed building, above the ground storey, should be restricted to the established building line at the front and rear. The proposal is a massive overdevelopment of the site.

'The huge bulk and mass proposed are so out of character with the existing large, detached, single family homes that serious damage to the local area would be caused and this proposal should be refused.'

His wife Iona Gardner added: 'The result is a proposal that is much worse than the previous planning application.

The ruling is bittersweet for Mr Yeoman who has failed in his bid to have a bigger home than his nextdoor neighbour Jeremy Gardner (Pictured: The new plans for Mr Yeoman's house)

Pictured: Millionaire's row in Poole Harbour, Dorset. Neighbours in the area called Mr Yeoman's design 'bulky and oppressive'

'Although the height has reduced by around 1m the size, scale, massing, bulk and site coverage are now much greater.

'It is even more prominent than it was before. Out of place with character and appearance of the area and the harm is much greater than the previous application.'

Neighbour Michael Riley said: 'This application differs from the previous, failed, applications only in that it has increased the size of the above ground building, removed the basement and increased the garaging.

'None of which change the fundamental reasons for previous rejection, in that, it fails to meet the requirements of the Poole Plan, it remains a dominating feature of the view from the harbour, it will detrimentally change the character of the Elms Estate.'

But planning officer Babatunde Aregbesola says the revised scheme will have a positive effect on the street and is 'more sympathetic to the character and appearance of the street scene'.

He said the proposed property would be of similar height to its neighbour but its rear would extend deeper into the site.

He insisted it would not be 'harmfully overbearing' on the Gardners' property as there will be a considerable boundary wall and planting between the two.

A decision is set to be made by the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council planning committee on Thursday.