To wonder WTF is so special about Sandbanks?

[PatPig]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2350655/Couple-paid-record-3-5million-dilapidated-Sandbanks-home-refused-permission-transform-luxury-bed-house.html

The beach is decent enough, but there are plenty better in the UK, it's a long slog to London by train, it's choked by traffic on a sunny day, no motorway, little in the way of shops, and so on.

[MummyMastodon]

And if sea levels rise they are screwed

[GerardWay]

On hot summer weekends it can take at least 2 hours to drive to your house due to the horrendous traffic jams for the car park and the ferry.

[squoosh]

Meh.

It all looks a bit too 80's and Howard's Way for me.

[hellsbellsmelons]

It is beautiful there.
And the 2nd largest harbour in the world - 2nd to Sydney harbour, I believe.
I love it there.

[Onesleeptillwembley]

We went last year. To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement.

[Jan49]

It's near to Swanage which is the loveliest place in the entire world. But don't tell anyone else.

There's more to life than being near London.

[PatPig]

I prefer it on the other side of the harbour. I like to cycle past the queue of traffic and get on the ferry.

I'm sure there are better beaches in Norfolk or somewhere like that.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

They'll bypass the queues with a helicopter!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Bloody hell, just clicked on the link. There's no room for a helicopter!

[HRHwheezing]

It's one of the few places that you can get a house next to a beach, I mean walk out your door and the beach is there.

[usualsuspect]

I was underwhelmed with Sandbanks too, I wondered what all the fuss was about.

I've been to far better beaches in the uk

[Fenton]

A bit silly of the other residents to complain about rebuild plans when you see the state of what's there now. It does rather let the area down as it is.

[diddl]

All that money to be so close to neighbours!

The houses either side are pretty horrible imo.

I think that the middle house is lovely & if it was mine, I'd just want to renovate & keep it looking mainly as it is-although the precedent has been set by the neighbours!

Never been though-but a house that you could just step onto the beach-sounds great-but not at any cost!

[Lurleene]

I live down the road from there, and the thing that gets me is that when someone buys a multimillion pound house there, they always seem to demolish it and build a new one in it's place! It seems such a waste.

[FobblyWoof]

hellsbellsmelons

It's often misquoted as being the world second largest natural harbour, behind Sydney, but Syndey's has been extended so there's so contention about which is actually the largest Can you tell where I'm from?

With the peninsular the price is all about the double vista. You've got uninterrupted sea on one side and on the other the harbour, which is so big that the water almost streaches as far as you can see. I would pay for that view if I had the money (though, admittedly still not as much as that couple paid!).

I'm not going to sell the area to you but the beaches are good, seven miles of blue flag and if you know where the tourists aren't going to be its lovely! But there's also the historic part of the coast line.

Unfortunately, having lived in Poole for all my life I can see its decline around me. There seems to be a lot more social problems creeping in to everyday life here, and Bournemouth has just turned into stag and hen do heaven

But it depends where you are in Poole I suppose. Sandbanks is just a couple of roads and Canford Cliffs isn't a huge area either. The centre of Poole can be a bit rough but the rest of it is just like any other normal town.

[PatPig]

I can only imagine that people don't live in these houses most of the time.

It's like the £millions properties in London where they just fly in from Russia or Dubai for a couple of weeks in the year, it's a possession/status symbol more than a home.

But at least in London your tiny little strip of land is within a few minutes of 3* Michelin restaurants, Harrods, and lots of other billionaires' amenities.

I can't really fathom why you would want to live sandwiched together otherwise.

[Remotecontrolduck]

Massively over rated! I go to Bournemouth/Poole often and venture down there. Why it's so popular is beyond me. I can imagine living so close to the sea wouldn't be such a good thing in the event of a big storm!

[TwasBrillig]

Sandbanks was on harbour lives the other night. Apparently most people buy cash and don't bother with a survey. I guess as they'd rebuild!

It is a beautiful part of the world to be, the beaches between Poole and Bournemouth are lovely, similarly studland, swanage way. Poole harbour itself is spectacular, and a good base for sailing. Several of the sandbanks homes have a helipad.

I think its mainly overpriced as its a status thing though, they rarely live there -its a summer house for true billionaires, alongride a London house, houses abroad etc.

[PatPig]

Central Bournemouth is really vile with the vomit and beer cans on the beach. But the beaches uptowards Southbourne are nice.

Poole has a rough estate or two, and the worst school in the country:

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/districts/poole/9494568.St_Aldhelm___s_Academy_named_worst_school_in_GCSE_league_tables/

I'm not sure Sandbanks is large enough to sustain a private school for the millionaire's kids. Not sure where they go, if there are any people actually living there....

[PatPig]

Seems a bit of a bizarre status symbol though, would have thought the money better spent in central London, and then get a beach property in the south of France or somewhere with dependably decent weather rather than a country that gets a day of sunshine in April and that's it for the year.....

[TwasBrillig]

Poole has a mix of not great schools and incredibly good schools. The local primary is lilliput and outstanding, similarly some outstanding middle schools, grammar schools etc

. To be honest they would probably go private. Dumpton and castle court are nice. Claysmore and canford school nearby if people wanted local rather than to board.

[SirChenjin]

No idea. We went there on holiday in the 70s and it was nice enough - went back there about 5 years ago and I really couldn't see what the fuss was about. The property market's equivalent of Harry Enfield's I Saw You Coming shop, I think.

[TwasBrillig]

Its people like Harry rednap (current owner), cliff Richard (former owner), so presumably people in those circles. I expect most have London houses as well!

I'm amazed people would spend that much for so little ground space when there are beautiful Dorset villages nearby, but the rich and famous aren't bound by money!

[TwasBrillig]

Its one of the most expensive places to buy in the world. (which I think is nuts!)