EXCLUSIVE 'It's a glorified greenhouse': Inside the saga of a notorious £600k Grand Designs flop... and why five years later it is STILL 'not finished'

Daily Mail​

13 hours ago

A controversial Grand Designs home that left neighbours living under scaffolding for five years has never been occupied - and locals have since dubbed it 'the glorified greenhouse'.
The striking glass-walled property, perched on the cliffs of East Yorkshire, was hailed as 'breathtaking' by Channel 4 host Kevin McCloud when the show aired last year.
However, for those living nearby, the ambitious build has been less inspiring - with neighbours branding it an 'eyesore' and 'a great place to grow tomatoes'.
Built by wealthy shopping centre magnate Zahid Iqbal, 61, and his wife Ferzana, 57, the project began back in 2019 as an ambitious plan to convert a derelict coastguard's tower into a modern, three-storey retreat with panoramic sea views.
A 10-month build dragged on for five chaotic years - with endless delays, planning blunders, and towering scaffolding looming over home of neighbours living in adjoining 19th century cottages.
Now it has emerged that the house has never been occupied, with speculation rife among locals that the plush pad could soon be put up for sale.
Vic Crosthwaite, 83, the long-suffering neighbour whose ordeal drew sympathy from Grand Designs viewers after his home was consumed by constructions works and then dwarfed by the eventual new build, said he had learned to 'ignore' the property.
Mr Crosthwaite, whose home shares a party wall with the structure, said: 'We understood that they would be moving in but there's been no sign of them.
'I've seen them once, when they went for a coffee across the road, and that was it.
'There's gossip that it is being put for sale. But nobody's is ever there. It's just empty.
'I try to ignore it as much as I can. I was surrounded by scaffolding for five years and it still doesn't look like it has been finished.
'What is frustrating is that their windows overlook my patio. They told me they would darken the glass or put film on but they haven't.
'You can practically see into my bedroom from the staircase.'
Mr Iqbal, from Leeds, purchased the site for £175,000 and poured an estimated £375,000 into the project, which was riddled with planning issues and structural mistakes.
Key pieces of glass for the panoramic windows did not fit, while the company fitting the glass missed an email asking for bird proofing as it had gone into their junk folder.
Neighbours in picturesque Flamborough said the property had remained unlived in following completion and that the owners had not been seen following the show's broadcast.
Guy Raynor-Edwards, 63, said: 'It's just sat there. No one's come back.
'I don't think it was ever really about living here. I got the feeling it was more like, 'look how clever I am, look how much money I've got.'
'He's put a gate on it, but no one goes in or out. Unless he's got the heating running automatically, it must be freezing in there.
'They said it was for the daughter, this quiet little bolt hole for her, but I don't think she's ever been here.
'I may be mistaken, but we know all each other up here. You'd notice if someone came back.
'You see cars slowing down going past, people saying, 'oh, that's the one from the telly.' But most just look at it and say: 'What is that?' You've got all these lovely cottages, then that thing plonked in the end.
'It's completely at odds with the rest.'
Locals suggested the house may fail to meet building regulations because external glass doors on two floors are without balconies (pictured)
Locals suggested the house may fail to meet building regulations because external glass doors on two floors are without balconies, while the striking staircase has yet to be fitted with a balustrade.
Another neighbour, who gave her name only as Jen, added: 'When you look at it, there are doors on the two upper floors that can't possibly open. People would just walk and fall out. I don't think they thought about that.
'And although it's a very architecturally impressive structure, I'm not sure this was the right place for it.
'If it had been somewhere else - ten miles down the road with no neighbours - it might have worked. But this is a historic village.'
'It's impressive it's just not in the right place.'
Another neighbour Lee Dell, 80, was less enthused, bluntly describing the building as 'crap'.
He said: 'It's a glorified greenhouse. I think it's rubbish. For a start, there are doors looking out straight onto the golf course. There's nothing to stop anyone falling out.
'Somebody ought to come and knock it down.'
Mr Dell, a retired plumber who has lived in the village for 26 years, added: 'Since they've finished I've never seen anyone come back to it.
'It wouldn't surprise it they are planning on selling it.'
Mr Iqbal had sought to demolish the existing coastguard tower - bought at auction - while building a new structure with a 'mega-cantilever' and doubling the area.
But nine months into the ten-month project, and the family had only just started demolishing the original structure due to an unfortunate ground survey.
A second blow quickly followed as their son Yusuf, who had been spearheading the project, decided to leave.
Mr Iqbal was then at risk of losing his £175,000 investment after a planning enforcement officer shut the project down completely.
He had applied for a conversion - but all that was left of the original structure was the wall shared with their neighbour.
After risking losing everything, the father-of-three had a new planning request accepted and the project was able to continue.
But the lack of detailed plans plus delays, including the pandemic and terrible weather, meant the build took half a decade to complete.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post last September, Mr Iqbal said: 'It's a place for the family and I believe it's the first Grand Designs that's a second home.
'I'm so happy with it. It has come out exactly as we were hoping.'
'It's not about the building, it's about where it is. For us the exciting thing was always the nature - what you can see. The biggest part is what the building shows you, what it frames.'
'As I said to Kevin I wanted to build something that creates discussion.
'There will be people who will absolutely loathe it and people who will love it. Buildings should provoke reactions. As long as someone has an opinion - it means they can be bothered to look at.'
Expressing their opinion were Nigel and Sue Lenton, visiting Flamborough on holiday from their home in Somerset.
Nigel, 67, said: 'I like it. I like the glass and the symmetry of it and the contrast between black and white.
'I don't think it blends in with the neighbours' houses - but on it's own, I like it.'
Sue, 76, added: 'It's such a shame that no-one is making use of it, given how much it must have cost to build.
'In a way, it's a bit of a white elephant.'
Upon broadcast last September, Mr McCloud was wowed by the building's panoramic sea views, while keeping a nod to the building's original purpose.
Kevin said: 'It absolutely speaks of what was here before. This building still has the spirit of the coastguard's station about it. It's quite heroic, the way it looks out to sea. It's reborn.'