Latest news with #VickyCurtisCresswell
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Omaze house winner left in limbo over prize home
Vicky Curtis-Cresswell won a £6m luxury house in Blakeney, Norfolk, through an Omaze and Comic Relief raffle in March. She is currently unable to access her prize due to an ongoing planning dispute initiated by an anonymous complaint. North Norfolk District Council is investigating concerns that the house was not built to approved designs, with reports indicating it is larger than permitted and includes unapproved tennis courts and a swimming pool. Omaze has submitted a pre-application and is preparing a retrospective planning application for the property. Omaze guarantees that house winners will not incur any costs to remedy historical planning issues and that all prizes are transferred with good title.
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The Independent
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Winner of £6m Omaze house still waiting for keys after anonymous complaint sparks planning row
The winner of a £6m home is still waiting to receive their keys after an anonymous complaint has sparked a planning dispute. Vicky Curtis-Cresswell from south Wales, won the luxury house in Blakeney, Norfolk, in an Omaze and Comic Relief raffle which raised more than £4m for the charity. The former Miss Wales finalist said at the time that she plans to sell the house and buy a property in Wales. But North Norfolk District Council has started an investigation into the home after an anonymous member of the public raised their concerns that it had not been built to the approved designs. Omaze has said it did submit a pre-application for the house and is now also submitting a retrospective planning application for the property. But while the dispute is ongoing, Ms Curtis-Cresswell is unable to access her prize. However, there is a possibility the plans could be refused by the authority, meaning it could take enforcement action and force the company to make changes. The planning documents appear to show the house was built larger than permitted, the BBC reported. It added that a tennis court and swimming pool built at the property do not appear to have planning permission Omaze said the planning discrepancies were not revealed during checks and surveys of the property before it was purchased. An Omaze spokesperson said: 'Omaze continues to work with North Norfolk District Council in relation to recommendations made regarding the property in Norfolk. Omaze has submitted a pre-application to the council and is submitting a retrospective planning application. 'Omaze reiterates that it guarantees no house winner would ever have to incur any costs whatsoever to remedy any historical planning issue. Omaze further guarantees that all house prizes are transferred to winners with good and marketable title." A North Norfolk District Council spokesperson said: 'At present we are waiting for an application to be submitted by the owners to try and regularise the current breaches of planning control. 'We are expecting an application to be submitted by the end of this month.'
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Omaze winner denied keys to £6m house amid planning row
A former Miss Wales finalist who won a £6m house in a £10 Omaze draw is yet to get the keys as a result of a lengthy planning battle. Vicky Curtis-Cresswell, 38, won the Norfolk home at the end of March, but has been unable to move in after an anonymous member of the public claimed a tennis court and swimming pool on the property had been built without permission. The property, in Blakeney, has been under investigation by North Norfolk District Council since March. Planning documents also revealed that the house had been built to be larger than permitted, according to the BBC. If retrospective planning permission is refused by the local authority, officials technically have the power to tear down the 5,000 sq ft property entirely. An Omaze spokesman said the company had submitted a pre-application to the council, and was filing a retrospective planning application as well. Ms Curtis-Cresswell also won a £250,000 cash payment, which Omaze said was enough to run the property for 10 years if she chose not to sell. The property came with an estimated £165,000 of furnishings. When she won, Ms Curtis-Cresswell was living with her husband, Dale, 41, their young daughter and her in-laws while looking for a home to rent. She said at the time: 'When the Omaze film crew turned up outside our house, I started to think it might be the house, but it's just too big a thing to even imagine. 'My mother-in-law feels like she's won the jackpot as we can now move out.' She added: 'Like a lot of people, it's fair to say times can be tough, we both work so hard, but things can still feel stretched some months. Winning this house feels like an enormous weight has been lifted. 'It's just crazy, one week we're worrying about our old car breaking down, the next thing we've got a £6m house.' She said in March that the family planned to sell the house, in order to buy a new home in Wales. The prize draw for the Norfolk property raised £4.1m for Comic Relief, the company said. The announcement of Ms Curtis-Cresswell as the winner, which had been set to be on the BBC's Comic Relief programme, was delayed due to privacy concerns. Omaze told the BBC that the planning issues had not been flagged during the checks, and surveys performed on the house before it was purchased. An Omaze spokesman said: 'Omaze will transfer ownership of the property to the winner once all planning matters are resolved.' A North Norfolk District Council spokesman said: 'We are waiting for an application to be submitted by the owners to try and regularise the current breaches of planning control. 'We are expecting an application to be submitted by the end of this month.'
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Miss Wales finalist STILL doesn't have the keys to her £6m Omaze house nearly three months after winning it as planning row rumbles on
A former Miss Wales finalist is still waiting to receive the keys to her £6million Omaze house nearly three months after winning the draw. Vicky Curtis-Cresswell, 38, said it had felt like 'an enormous weight had been lifted' when she was the lucky winner of Larkfields in Norfolk in February. The mansion home was the most expensive ever given in a UK prize draw with the competition raising £4million for BBC 's Comic Relief. But Omaze's so-called notorious 'curse' appears to have struck again as the home, modelled on the luxurious seaside villas in the Hamptons in Long Island, is at the centre of a planning fallout. The tennis court and swimming pool, much lauded in Omaze's spiel to promote the draw, reportedly do not have planning permission. While the pastel blue panelled fronted home has been built larger than was permitted, the BBC reported. North Norfolk District Council launched an investigation in March when a member of the public complained it had not been built to the submitted blueprints. Omaze said it had submitted a pre-application to the local authority and would be filing a retrospective planning application. The fundraising firm said issues with the home had not been found when checks and surveys were carried out before it had been bought. A spokesman said: 'Omaze will transfer ownership of the property to the winner once all planning matters are resolved.' If the retrospective planning application is refused the council could order the company to make changes to the property so it is in line with the original plans. MailOnline has contacted Omaze for further comment. Ms Curtis-Cresswell, who bought her winning ticket for just £10, and who has never owned her own home before, is planning to sell it in order to buy a house in her native Wales. Jamie Minors, managing director of local estate agents Minors and Brady, said last month the planning problems would 'massively affect the chance of sale, as some people will be put off and will not want to buy it. It could also affect the value'. 'Selling it will definitely be more difficult and challenging, as solicitors will definitely advise against it,' he said. Ms Curtis-Cresswell currently lives with her husband, Dale, 41, and young daughter at her in-laws' three-bedroom house in Wales and the family were looking for their own rental property when news of the win came in. Sun loungers by the outdoor pool give a view over spectacular scenery by the north Norfolk coastline The kitchen at the imposing house, which was built in the style of architecture found in Cape Cod and the Hamptons, boasts integrated appliances, a US-style fridge and an island with seating for four people 'Our lives changed forever and we became multi-millionaires,' said Ms Curtis-Creswell, who entered the Miss Wales competition in 2008 and won Most Driven Contestant. 'I was absolutely flabbergasted, my sister-in-law burst out crying. It was a mixture of pure shock and joy. 'Like a lot of people, it's fair to say times can be tough. We both work so hard but things can still feel stretched some months. Winning this house feels like an enormous weight has been lifted. 'It's crazy. One week, we're worrying about our old car breaking down, the next thing we've got a £6 million house.' A £250,000 cash prize came with the 5,000 sq ft house, which also has a summer house, all-weather AstroTurf tennis court and access to a secluded pontoon and has £165,000 worth of furnishings. The property could earn an estimated £5,500 per month if rented out - but Ms Curtis Cresswell added: 'I think we'll sell it to release the money and buy another amazing house somewhere in Wales. 'We'll be having a big party in Norfolk before we sell up. We can't wait to invite our friends and family.' A North Norfolk District Council spokeswoman said: 'We are waiting for an application to be submitted by the owners to try and regularise the current breaches of planning control. 'We are expecting an application to be submitted by the end of this month.'
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Omaze winner still waiting for keys to £6m Blakeney house
The winner of a £6m home is still waiting to receive the keys because unresolved planning breaches have held up the transfer. Vicky Curtis-Cresswell said she felt "pure joy" after winning the property in Blakeney, Norfolk, in an Omaze and Comic Relief the house has been investigated by North Norfolk District Council after an anonymous member of the public raised concerns in March, that it had not been built to the approved Omaze spokesman said the company had submitted a pre-application to the council and was submitting a retrospective planning application as well. Originally from South Wales, Ms Curtis-Cresswell had been searching for a rental property for her family while living at her in-laws' home. The former Miss Wales finalist plans to sell the property and buy a house in prize draw raised more than £4m for Comic inspection of planning documents and photographs of the property appear to show it has been built larger than permitted, the Local Democracy Reporting Service says.A tennis court and swimming pool built at the property do not appear to have planning permission. Omaze said the planning discrepancies were not revealed during checks and surveys of the property before it was purchased. A spokesman said: "Omaze will transfer ownership of the property to the winner once all planning matters are resolved." To remedy the problems, the authority issued a series of recommendations which the company needed to action. A North Norfolk District Council spokeswoman said: "We are waiting for an application to be submitted by the owners to try and regularise the current breaches of planning control."We are expecting an application to be submitted by the end of this month."However, the retrospective permission could be refused, meaning the authority could take enforcement action and force the company to make changes. If the permission is refused, it could face a similar fate to a luxury home built by a West End producer in Spiegel, behind shows including Hairspray and The Mousetrap, was required to rebuild his home after a lengthy planning dispute when the property was built larger than the approved designs, costing him millions of pounds to rectify the problems. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
