RESIDENTS were up in arms about plans to extend a house in Alum Chine.

The planning application by Paul and Michelle Whyman proposed changes to a scheme of alterations, extensions and the "formation of terraces with balustrades", originally agreed in 2016, to a property at 140 Alumhurst Road.

The board heard that during construction the applicants had encountered difficulties with their existing plans, for which they had consent, and they decided to head in a different direction.

It was the fourth application for the property since 2015, and attracted 15 letters of objection, including from ward councillor John Beesley who said work had gone ahead with "a complete disregard" of the board's previous judgement, and urged enforcement action should the plans be rejected.

In letters, residents said they felt powerless to stop the construction.

Speaking at a planning board meeting on Monday, in which the plans were unanimously rejected, ward councillor Nick Rose said: "We call this in the army 'mission creep', which has gone terribly wrong.

"Each time it seems they keep changing their mind, now because of mistakes they are making they are asking for more things to be done. I have never seen anything like it."

Cllr Beesley, who is also council leader, said: "Being involved in planning matters for the last 17 years cant recall a case where there have been so many irregularities compared with the consented scheme."

He said the changes proposed to "regularise" the actual work with the approved scheme would lead "to the benefit of the applicant and detriment of the neighbours".

The scheme also received submissions from the town's civic society, of which chairman Ken Mantock said the scheme amounted to "continuous building operations" and left an "ugly new roof" in the centre of a stepped terrace.

Board chairman Cllr David Kelsey expressed his concerns, saying there would be an "immense amount of overlooking over the neighbours either side of them".

Members voted unanimously to reject the scheme.