The man put four WW2 replica plane statues on his front garden were said not have "any adverse impact on the character" of the area by the council
The man won the planning battle for his four WW2 planes after neighbour's made "offensive" remarks to the council about them(Image credit: North Lincolnshire Council)
Statues of Second World War military aircraft and a fantasy dragon will remain in the front garden of a Lincolnshire home after a planning dispute with neighbours.
Lee Norris, 52, installed the four planes and the dragon artwork at his home in Hibaldstow, North Lincolnshire, but says his neighbour’s response has been ‘stressful’.
Some objectors claimed the planes gave his property the appearance of a 'theme park' but he ultimately won the battle by gaining planning permission.
What was built?
The four planes are a Lancaster bomber, a Halifax bomber, a Gloster Meteor jet, and a Spitfire, while the dragon sits atop his carport. The metal plane statues are each around three metres high.
Other oddities include a red vintage tractor, a stone sculpture of a horse and cart, a red telephone box, a mangle, a water pump, and a wood burner.
Mr Norris told Grimsby Live the plane sculptures were a tribute to the village's military history. RAF Hibaldstow opened in 1941 and closed in 1947.
The four planes were based on WW2 planes the Lancaster bomber, Halifax bomber, Gloster Meteor jet, and a Spitfire(Image credit: North Lincolnshire Council)
Neighbours submit ‘offensive’ remarks about the statues
One neighbour called the ornaments “absolute tat”, adding: “Game of Thrones want their dragon back...this is Woods Meadow and not Old Valyria (a kingdom in a Song Of Ice And Fire, the book series the TV show is based on)!!
Get the Homebuilding & Renovating Newsletter
Bring your dream home to life with expert advice, how to guides and design inspiration. Sign up for our newsletter and get two free tickets to a Homebuilding & Renovating Show near you.
“They are like mole hills!!!! You go to bed at night and another one pops up and they just seem to get higher and higher.”
Another wrote: “They are not in keeping with this residential area. It looks like a theme park!”
Commenting on the neighbours’ complaints, Mr Norris said: “It was quite offensive the way they described my garden. It should have been a joyful experience decorating my garden, but it has been quite stressful because of this.
“I take pride in my house and garden so to see how some people chose to describe it was upsetting.
“We are an RAF village, there's a picture of a plane on the sign as you come into the village and we have skydivers nearly every day.”
Why was the man allowed to keep the structures?
The dragon on top of the carport was said to be similar in style of the hit show Game of Thrones(Image credit: North Lincolnshire Council)
Mr Norris applied for retrospective planning permission for the structures, which some opposed as they claimed the sculptures could fall and damage property or cause injury.
However, planning officers at North Lincolnshire Council decided the eye-catching display can stay.
It said: “This application to erect four military aeroplane structures mounted on a lattice support and construct a dragon sculpture mounted on top of the flat roof of the car port is not considered to have any adverse impact on the character, setting or residential amenity.”
Sam is based in Coventry and has been a news reporter for nearly 20 years. His work has featured in the Mirror, The Sun, MailOnline, the Independent, and news outlets throughout the world. As a copywriter, he has written for clients as diverse as Saint-Gobain, Michelin, Halfords Autocentre, Great British Heating, and Irwin Industrial Tools. During the pandemic, he converted a van into a mini-camper and is currently planning to convert his shed into an office and Star Wars shrine.
