Omaze mansion fury as £3m property was ‘built on top of sacred World Heritage site’

A £3million mansion in Cornwall being offered in the latest Omaze prize draw has outraged locals because it was built on a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Located on the stretch of Cornish coastline where BBC’s Poldark show was filmed, the glittering five-bedroom house is right next to the Gooninnis Engine House in St Agnes. Used for tin and copper mining in the 19th century, the heritage site’s UNESCO status put it on par with places like the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids and Stonehenge.

Officials from the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site continually objected to the mansion being built, warning “the harm caused… cannot be mitigated by design, as it is the principle of development of the smallholding to a residential use that causes the harm.”

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The house – along with £100,000 in cash – can be won in the latest Omaze prize draw, which costs only a tenner to enter.

Omaze, which donates proceeds of the draw to Great Ormond’s Street Hospital, states on its website: “Ready to celebrate a brand new start? Because soon, you could be relaxing, recharging and breathing in the spring air as our newest multimillionaire.”

Speaking to the Mail, outraged locals of the historic village likened the imposing modern structure to a “Lidl or an Aldi”. Resident Jamie Donachie said: “People definitely care about what is built here. With regards to the history of the area it should be protected.”

Another who didn’t want to be named added: “The WHS’s objection was sensible and it’s a shame the council ignored it. People have been talking about that house non-stop since it was built. We’re all screaming about it but nobody’s listening.”

According to the Mail, documents show then-owners David and Sandra Whitworth sold the property to developers for £450,000 before it was re-designed and built as an opulent abode that was sold on to Omaze for an estimated £3million.

Speaking to the publication, Mrs Whitworth said: “The planning application we did went through smoothly. We just sold the land, it’s [Omaze’s] property.” The Daily Star has contacted an Omaze representative for comment but the not-for-profit organisation has not responded.

Photos of the luxurious property show a spacious entrance hall with a stone floor leading through to an open plan kitchen, boasting herringbone oak floors throughout. In total, there’s a whopping three ovens, with residents able to access a snazzy hot tub elsewhere in the house.

It is the latest offering from Omaze, which has seen most of its major property prizes sold less than 12 months after being won.

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