FUMING residents have slammed their neighbour for building a “disgusting” bright pink “real-life Barbie dreamhouse”.
The vibrant coloured property was advertised on a Facebook Council House Swap site which quickly racked up 7,600 likes and a slew of mixed comments.
A woman has infuriated some of her neighbours with her pink ‘barbie dreamhouse’[/caption]
The vibrant coloured property went through a makeover lasting two years[/caption]
Even her car is pink leading to polarising opinions from neighbours[/caption]
Martin Ruck, 53, questioned the house and said that ‘not many people like pink’[/caption]
The three-bedroom house, in Essex, underwent its rosy makeover two years ago, causing polarising opinions between neighbours.
The property has also attracted scathing criticism from some locals.
One resident, who asked not to be named, blasted the house: “Horrible. Disgusting. Horrible. Totally ridiculous.
“It’s no harm, but I wouldn’t want to live next door to it. Only because if you wanted to sell your house.
“You wouldn’t would you? You wouldn’t be able to sell it.”
Resident and hospital volunteer Martin Ruck, 53, said: “Why friggin’ pink? Not many people like pink.
“Well some people do it seems – but not many I don’t think.
“Have you seen the colour of the car as well? Pink.”
Barry Renwick added: “Oh Barbie. It’s a bit out of place isn’t it for around here?
“When she first moved in she painted her house pink. We thought ‘that’s a bit odd, a bit strange.’
“A lot of people came miles around just to have a look at The Pink House after it’s been on Facebook. She’s had run-ins with the neighbours on many occasions.”
However, he did add: “But I just let her get on with it. As long as she doesn’t bother me it’s fine.”
Despite causing a pink stink with some street residents, the homeowner referred to by neighbours as “Barbie Girl” or “The Pink Lady”, has also received a wave of support for her creative commitment.
June Harris, 62, has lived on the street for 42 years and has witnessed the doll Dreamhouse come to life.
She said: “I love it. It’s good what she’s done, I don’t mind it. I always say each to their own, you know, they can do what they want – good luck to her.
“You’ve got to have balls to do something like that, and she’s just being herself. I think it’s brilliant.”
Despite the increased foot traffic to his road following the 2.2k Facebook shares, Phil Young, 71, was another who didn’t seem to mind the pink explosion.
“Yeh, it’s quite famous on the internet now – I’ve had worse neighbours.”
“And I can’t see the pink house – not from where I am, so it doesn’t really bother me. I’m fine with it, I don’t mind.”
Meanwhile Paul Crozier, 71, said that he did not like the house at first but has since changed his mind.
He said: “Initially, when it was there – yuck! It’s pink. But I’ve rather got used to it now. She’s a nice lady.
“She likes pink, too much in my opinion. It’s been there a couple of years now so I’ve got used to it now. It’s part of the road now.”
The pictures attracted so much attention the mediator of the public housing group had to disable the post, writing ‘I am going to have to turn off commenting on your current post as people are focusing on the presentation and not the swap.’
A TikTok by housinghorrors received 60.5k views within a week – which had a lot of comments praising her commitment, with many supporting the plastic fantastic pad.
Responding to the viral video analysing her home, she posted on her Facebook: “God, how has my house got around this quick!”
“Love it or hate it, but no need for nasty comments. Some people are just sad and bitter – me on the other hand, I’m happy in my pink world.”
A Chelmsford Housing Association spokesperson said: “We want people to be happy living in their homes and we’re pleased that Jamie Lee and her family are enjoying living in theirs.”
The Barbie-themed house[/caption]
Barry Renwick said the property was ‘strange’[/caption]
But 71-year-old Phil Young said he didn’t mind the pink house[/caption]
What are your rights in this situation?
If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighbourly issue by talking to your neighbour you can approach your local council.
Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health.
Homeowners do not usually need planning permission to paint their house a bright colour – but check with your local authority first.
For a range of issues, you could use a mediation service if raising the issue informally does not work, according to Gov.uk.
To complain all you need to do is contact your local council, many have a specialist team to deal with disputes of this nature.
One of the most common neighbourly issues is excessive or unreasonable noise levels.
In the event of an emergency, such as if your neighbour physically attacks you, always call 999.
As a last resort you can take legal action through the courts.
