'We bought our £1.85million dream house but have been forced to sell after neighbour complaint'

A devastated couple is being forced to put their £1.85 million on the market following a complaint from an overly curious .

The ordeal for Richard and Victoria Kerrison started in 2019 when their neighbour, Helen Crawley, complained about a decline in the quality of water from the borehole they shared. Crawley also voiced her grievances to the council regarding noise issues, including car doors slamming, playing, people chatting, and loud music.

The dispute escalated after North decided that the Kerrisons did not have the right to use Roundabout Farm for holiday letsa decision made after the couple had already forked out £90,000 on l arguing that planning permission was unnecessary for such use. Now, they've been instructed to cease using the property as a holiday let.

A distraught Mrs Kerrison said: "One person's opinion and a swipe of the pen has written us off. We've spent all this time building up a really good and solid business and we worked hard to keep it going. It all started with a letter from the council when they said it had been reported to them that someone was living unlawfully on the Farm," reports .

"There has been no contravene of planning - thousands of people in the UK rent out their houses as an Air BnB. There were three meetings through an enforcement panel and all of those meetings ended with 'Do not have enough evidence to enforce'. The last meeting was two weeks before it was enforced. We had no idea it would go this far. When the council originally said there had been a complaint, we were really surprised."

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The couple snapped up the property in 1997, turning what was once a dilapidated estate into a haven of "peace and tranquillity" for tourists. They've been running the Farm as a renovated barn and B&B since 2007, with their Courtyard Barn comfortably accommodating up to 10 guests.

The main issue arose from allegations that their converted Courtyard Barn was being used for holiday lets without the proper authorisation. Yet, Victoria believes the real error is on the council's side, accusing them of escalating a noise complaint into a full-blown planning dispute.

To quell concerns, the Kerrisons laid down guest guidelines such as a curfew for outdoor activities at 10pm and relocating a hot tub away from Mrs Crawley's boundary. Their cause received backing from Lady Anwen Hurt, widow of renowned BAFTA laureate actor John Hurt, who confirmed the building's long-standing residential status.

Nevertheless, the hammer came down on the Kerrisons with a ruling the Courtyard Barn had violated planning regulations. They received orders to halt its use as a holiday rental by November. Following the decision, the couple felt it necessary to consider moving on, citing their financial situation as a reason to sell their property. They expressed their dilemma: "We have to think, can we afford to still live here or do we move away? It is sad you can have your life wiped out like that. If we can sell, we will go. But if not, we'll have to rethink what we're doing next. We could consider a short term tenancy agreement for the converted barn. But that's okay as long as you get the right neighbours."

Roundabout Farm is listed at £1,850,000.