Neighbors Furious As Dunne Resumes Work In Belle Haven

But the long-running dispute with neighbors over plans for the $2m Victorian-era house in the upmarket enclave of Belle Haven is far from over.

Neighbors are furious at Greenwich Town Council officials for letting work proceed, and have lodged an appeal.

It will be heard at a meeting of the Planning and Zoning Appeals Board on April 20th.

Efforts to reach a compromise are also being made.

Representatives of Belle Haven residents recently presented the trustee of 38 Bush Avenue, property laywer Thomas J Heagney, and the site's architect, with an outline that may be acceptable to them.

"They discussed the parameters of what we could conceivable approve," said Richard Case, a retired IBM executive who lives right next door to the site.

"It was a cordial meeting. The other side understood the issues, but there is no agreement as yet."

The Dunnes first ran into difficulties with their neighbors last year when work they carried out on the exclusive property exceeded what they had planning permission for.

They also irritated neighbors by violating community rules on the hours during which construction work should be carried out.

Greenwich Town Council ordered in October that work be stopped, until they were granted a variation on the building regulations.

Neighbors objected to the scope of the new plans, and negotiations have been at a stalemate ever since.

In February, attempts to "weather-proof" the property were foiled, when a stop-work order was issued by zoning officials at the request of the Belle Haven Land Company which represents neighbors.

However, on March 29th zoning officers lifted the stop-work order, allowing construction work to proceed under the original permit.

David Studley, zoning enforcement officer with Greenwich Town Council, says the decision was taken on foot of new information provided by the owners of the property.

It's believed the property's owner struck a deal indemnifying zoning officials from potential lawsuits in return for the work permits.

Mr Studley said he has the power to stop work until the neighbor's appeal is heard, but in his opinion it was not in violation of zoning laws.

He was allowing work to continue because he has concerns that the building could be in peril if it didn't.

"They are not in violation of zoning," he said, "Just because some people are unhappy with what's going on there doesn't mean that it's in violation."

"If I put a stay on the work, in my opinion, the building is in such a condition that it would damage the property.

"The structure is vulnerable to damage from weather, it could get infested, boards could get wet and twisted. You can't leave a building wide open for long before nasty things start happening."

It's not known if the Dunnes have abandoned plans to live at the property, but they are rumored to be linked to a number of other properties in the greater Greenwich area.

38 Bush Avenue continues to be listed as Mrs Dunne's residence on company files lodged with the Connecticut State Department.

Both Sean and Gayle Dunne were spotted leaving the property on Friday last having discussed the project with builders on site.