Colourful homes - like Lego or a nod to tradition?

The construction of multi-coloured houses has proved controversial with nearby residents in a Kent seaside town.

Four properties, each a different colour, are being built on Coast Drive in Greatstone.

One neighbour compared the homes to Lego after their paintwork attracted both positive and negative attention on social media.

The developer, TG Designer Homes, said it was "not unusual" for its developments to elicit discussion and the colours were "a nod to the British tradition of beach huts".

The area "doesn't have a strong architectural heritage", the firm said, "so we didn't feel that we needed to design something that would 'fit in' with the local vernacular".

The company, run by a husband and wife team, described its design as "high quality with a point of difference" and "a bit of fun".

Some Greatstone residents told BBC Radio Kent they were not so sure about the properties, which are due to be finished later in 2026.

Lesley Thompsett said she "didn't understand them at all".

"I didn't think it was too bad until they put those coloured pieces on the top," she said.

"They look like bits of Lego stuck on top of a brick building."

Karen Barefield, who lives opposite the site, said that "all of a sudden we've got loads and loads of colour" in the village, after the construction of colourful beach huts nearby.

Marlene Hubbard said: "I can see why they've done them, the shape of them is not too bad, but where they are is the wrong place."

She suggested a "decent playpark for the kids" could have been built instead.

Tony Malthouse told the BBC he had heard the site was formerly an amusement park with a roller rink in the 1960s.

"A return to that sort of amenity may actually have been more in keeping with what they tell us is the aspiration for the area, which is to promote tourism," he said.

The homes are "out of keeping in their design" and the local community finds them "a bit more of a curiosity than anything else", according to the local resident.

Planning consent was granted in 2021 for the properties after an application by Folkestone & Hythe District Council, with TG later purchasing the site.

"We create houses of interest, and due to this 'interest' we sometimes attract initial discussion and discomfort from some people that are not initially convinced by our ideas," TG said.

"Marmite has been used to describe some of the houses we have built – people either love them or hate them.

"But in our eyes, if what we are doing creates a discussion, then we are happy about that."

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