A fast food tycoon whose chicken shops sold lager to children has been slammed for building an ‘awful eyesore’ in one of the most luxurious communities in the UK.
Dariush Majidi, 65, bought the four-bed detached home in the billionaire’s playground of Sandbanks, Poole, for £1m in 2008, but it has shot up in value to £1.6m.
Originally it was a mellow white beach house with quirky circular windows but Majidi’s revamp has left it with garish cladding and a pair of Greek-style Ionic columns that weren’t included in the approved planning application.
The takeaway magnate’s neighbours told MailOnline his villa, which has a sea view, marble floors and a chandelier, was simply ‘dreadful’.
One neighbour said: ‘It’s awful and it has been taking forever. They seem to do a bit of work for two days then don’t come back for weeks.
A takeaway tycoon is embroiled in a luxury neighbour row after his £1.6million home was branded an ‘eyesore’
Originally it was a mellow white beach house (left) with quirky circular windows but Mr Majidi’s revamp (right) has left it with garish cladding and a pair of Greek-style Ionic columns that weren’t included in the approved planning application
The home has a set of Greek-style Ionian pillars at the front of the property
Neighbours have complained that work on the house in one of Britain’s most exclusive communities has been ‘taking forever’ to finish
Fast food mogul Dariush Majidi, 65, bought the four-bed detached home in the billionaire’s playground Sandbanks (pictured), in Poole, for £1m in 2008, but it has shot up in value to £1.6m
‘I didn’t live here when it went to planning so I didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t object.
‘The cladding is awful, it has been shoddily done and just looks dreadful. It’s a bit of an eyesore.
‘I saw them put the pillars up and thought, ”What the hell are they doing there?” ‘
‘They just don’t fit with the rest of the design.’
Majidi made thousands of pounds by building a fried chicken empire in Bournemouth before setting up a delivery service for takeaway restaurants.
However, he got into hot water after his chicken shops were caught selling alcohol to children in an undercover council sting.
Two 15-year-old female volunteers from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council were able to buy alcohol from Mr Majidi’s California Fried Chicken chain.
One of Mr Majidi’s employees was interviewed by police before another operation the following year saw California Fried Chicken sell two cans of lager to a 14-year-old schoolgirl and another two cans to a 16-year-old boy.
As a result, the Council decided to delete the chain’s licence and replace it with a new set of more stringent conditions.
The original planning application, which was approved, did not include wooden cladding or a fourth floor
Follow-up plans asked to include a dark wooden cladding on parts of the outside of the home
Architectural designs included plans for stone pillars rather than the Greek-style Ionian ones currently on the revamped house
He has since moved on from chicken shops to owning his large takeaway business, called Happy Eater, which lets customers order food and restaurants advertise jobs.
Mr Majidi hired architecture firms Arc Design to make the original revamp plans and A B Design Poole to create later sketches relating to the fourth floor.
BCP Council’s planning log shows the house was initially going to be three levels and white before MR Majidi got permission for wooden cladding and a fourth floor.
Yet although Mr Majidi had his plans for the conversion approved by the Council, the Greek Ionic pillars were not included in any of the proposals.
It is understood the Council would only investigate if a breach was reported, although Mr Majidi could apply for retrospective planning permission.
A woman who holidays in a neighbouring apartment block said: ‘We don’t think it’s in keeping with everywhere around it.
‘It’s been a building site for years. There was a glass-fronted property there before and I think it actually looked better before, even though that was quite an old design.
When MailOnline visited the home, building materials were strewn across the patio
The home’s wooden cladding has been paired with large panes of glass to make the most of the view
Building materials were piled high behind orange works fences at the front of the property
The average price of a home on the road is £800,000. Mr Majidi’s home is worth double that
‘I was having a closer look at the front door earlier, it is odd, it just doesn’t go.
‘It’s a bit of an eyesore now. I think they have taken off the front of the old house but kept some of the original building.’
Sally-Ann Brennan is one of Mr Majidi’s neighbours who objected to his council application to build a fourth floor.
She claimed the takeaway tycoon started building a fourth floor before he obtained planning permission.
The modern take on a beachside villa has left many neighbours fuming
Further inspection showed the first two stories were built using red brick and the third using breeze blocks
The property’s roof deck will offer stunning views of the beach and sea for the fast food magnate to enjoy
In her objection, she wrote: ‘The builders are not staying true to the planning permission.
‘They are constructing another level higher, which now looks directly into a number of other properties bedrooms and therefore infringes other people’s access to light and privacy.’
Next-door neighbours Darius Burrows and Sarah Lynch also claimed there had been ‘unlawful commencement’.
A BCP Council spokesman said: ‘Planning applications were approved for changes to the original approved scheme, allowing for the formation of a fourth floor and alterations to the fenestration of the property.
‘We are yet to receive any specific complaints from residents regarding any pillars’.
Mr Majidi did not respond to a request for comment. A B Design Poole refused to comment and Arc Design hung up the phone when approached by MailOnline and did not respond to a written request.
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
