Sandbanks With Piers Morgan
A small peninsular jutting out from the coast of Dorset that little over 100 years ago was no more than a sand dune housing a couple of coastguard cottages, has become one of the most expensive places to live in the world.
Today Sandbanks is a developers’ paradise, a playground to the rich and famous which, with properties on the market for up to £12 million pounds, has become known as Britain’s answer to Monte Carlo.
Piers Morgan presents a new three part documentary series exploring the extraordinary phenomenon that is Sandbanks – less than 5 km of shoreline with a beach one side and a harbour the other – where a boom in the 1990s means only popstars, footballers and multi-millionaires can afford to buy the new super homes.
But despite the beautiful harbour adorned with million pound yachts, it’s not all plain sailing on Sandbanks. Some of the older and more traditional residents aren’t in favour of the sudden influx of new money and redevelopment.
War veteran Jack Holsgrove paid £60,000 for his beach property 35 years ago and refuses to sell despite the estate agents who turn up on his doorstep uninvited, with a promise of millions for his home.
“I am not selling….Where would I go to better this?” Says Jack. “No way, what would I do with 10 million? Not at any price. I wouldn’t have time to spend it.”
And Jack is not alone. Eddie Mitchell - the property developer responsible for innovative creations such as Thunderbird - a five bedroom copper roofed semi-circular dream home on the market for £3.25 million – is being met with ripples of resentment from some Sandbanks old timers, who are concerned about the pressure they say such development is putting on local amenities, as well as worries about it spoiling the area’s original character.
In programme one Piers Morgan lifts the lid on the Sandbanks phenomenon meeting the main players including ‘The David Beckham of Sandbanks’ as Piers calls him - Portsmouth FC manager, Harry Redknapp. Harry shows Piers around the £10 million sea front property he owns on what has become known as Sandbanks’ millonaires’ row.
Piers also meets £7 million Portsmouth signing Sulley Montari, property developer Eddie Mitchell famous for his outrageous creations, Richard Carr, a controversial local boy made good who’s knocking down houses to make way for blocks of flats, Tom Doyle, the estate agent who’s made so much money from the goldrush that he owns two Bentleys, and leading the campaign against the redevelopment, Terry Stewart, President of the local Residents’ Association.
Tuesday 15 January 2008 10:35pm - 11:05pm on ITV1.
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Did Piers ever actually get a map showing where Sandbanks was????? The 2 properties he featured by developer Eddie Mitchell are NOT on Sandbanks????? The first, “Utopia” is in Lilliput - and the second “Thunderbirds” is in Branksome Park (and has actually been on the market for 3 years rather than the 2 years mentioned)!!!! Neither of these properties are on Sandbanks Piers????? Maybe a map is needed next time and maybe you need to take a lesson in not being “taken in” by the developers???
The only person who actually really seemed to care as to what was happening to Sandbanks and the area was portrayed in the programme as a bit of a “stick in the mud” (ie the Chair of the Rsesidents Assoc) - I suppose that actually conveying what local residents want/need doesn’t make great TV though, does it - What a shame!!!
Local decent business people have had to endure the lies and desciet of these so called developers and estate agents for years. Your programme highlights the ultra egos of crooks such as Eddie Mitchell (taken 4 companies bankrupt in ten years but not in his name) and Richard Carr (same), The crooked estate agent Tom Doyle who bullies old ladies into selling (to his associates at a reduced price for resale back-to-back) similar to Victoria Wood years ago, done for fraud…….yet nothing is said. Just glorify these selfish spineless individuals who have taken hard-working contractors into liquidation, losing their livelyhoods…whilst they are allowed to keep theirs under the ‘Ltd’ flag protection, on money creamed off before they go bust, put in offshore accounts etc.
Do you think that the programme makers do their homework, making this programme last year, and the carpenter that Richard Carr has just ripped off through his sub-builder company Compton Builders for more than £48,000 should have to watch Richard Carr gloat. All the properties being shown are not (except Townsend one in Banks Road worth a mere £875,000) sold, or even on the peninsula.
Question: How can Eddie Mitchell be allowed to show Thunderbirds as a success, when originally nearly four years ago it was on the market for 6.25 million, and now that plastic/concrete breeze block cannot sell for half the price………and he doesn’t own it……..Seven Developments Mortgages own HIM!!!!!!!!!!!
Make a programme on the demise of these evil bastards and you will have prime time millions of viewers cheering Piers Morgan on……….be serious, does he like these assholes?
I’m interested to know more about which companies went bankrupt under Eddie Mitchell???!!!
He’s a cowboy and a half! Wish I could tell you more!
Hi - again- why, oh why, can’t a serious reporter (ie not Piers Morgan)
do a story on Sandbanks…. R Carr’s business going belly up…….Seven Devlps & all their probs…Poole Plsnning Depts. very odd decisions over the years……