A Game of Thrones enthusiast has won an appeal to keep his towering statues erected in his front garden – much to the fury of his neighbours. Lee Morris, 52, of Hibaldstow in North Lincolnshire, has been granted retrospective permission by the local council to keep the giant displays up outside his home.
He has adorned his garden with four military aeroplane statues and a dragon, but not everyone likes the display. In response to the retrospective planning application for the garden, one objector said: “Game of Thrones want their dragon back.”
Another added: “It is like they have ram raided Duxford Imperial War Museum gift shop.” Speaking to Grimsby Live, Mr Morris disapproved at references to his garden being a “theme park”, clarifying that his plane sculptures pay homage to RAF Hibaldstow’s military heritage, which dates back to 1941.
Despite ignoring his neighbours’ pleas, he admitted the jibes about his home had actually been quite offensive. He said: “It was quite offensive the way they described my garden. It should have been a joyful experience decorating my garden but it has been quite stressful because of this.
“I take pride in my house and garden so to see how some people chose to describe it was upsetting. We are an RAF village, there’s a picture of a plane on the sign as you come into the village and we have skydivers nearly every day.”, reports Grimsby Live.
Mr Morris has however garnered a wave of support from fellow history buffs. He continued: “I’ve had the other side too, older men come and ask if they can come and have a look in my garden because I’ve got an old Lancaster and other stuff.”
During the contentious planning meeting, Valerie Moore, a local resident, insisted on the statues’ removal, pointing out that one of the aircraft models extends over the boundary hedge.
Addressing the council, she expressed her frustration: “Since the last meeting, nothing has changed. This development is still totally inappropriate for the neighbourhood.”
She warned the committee: “If North Lincolnshire planning committee allow the precedent of this type of theme park installation in a residential area, surely they’d be failing the residents.”
Despite Ms Moore’s call for immediate action at the North Lincolnshire Council’s planning committee, Lee’s display was not ordered to be dismantled. The councillors had previously inspected the sculptures and held varied opinions regarding their aesthetic impact.
Councillor Trevor Foster of Ridge Ward commented on the display’s impact: “It’s certainly got a wow factor.”
Meanwhile, Bottesford councillor John Davison mused: “I suppose to a certain degree, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Max Bell, representing Ashby Lakeside, admitted his astonishment at the sheer size of the three-metre high statues and was the sole councillor to vote against the retrospective planning application approval.
