A Kent artist’s plans for a controversial seaside home have been delayed as not enough notices were put up advertising the application.

Sam Cox, known as Mr Doodle, has put forward a proposal for a unique bungalow inspired by his work in Dungeness.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) was expected to approve the scheme last night, but shortly before the meeting, the committee was informed that Mr Cox and his team had not properly advertised the development.

When planning applications are made, applicants must place laminated yellow notices nearby - which Mr Cox’s team had not done.

They had sent letters to all nearby neighbours, and advertised it in the press, but committee chairman Jackie Meade (Lab) had the decision deferred because of lack of posters.

“This is no disrespect to the design, I just want to ensure that we have actually followed the process properly,” she explained.

Mr Cox, who has more than 3.2 million followers on Instagram, is seeking to replace an existing home with the unique three-bedroom structure incorporating existing railway carriages and laser-cut doodles on the exterior.

But residents have blasted the proposal as a “vanity project” with no artistic inspiration or “spiritual understanding” of the beach location.

Another likened the plans to the “Disneyfication” of Dungeness, while concerns were also raised about wildlife within the area’s Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with one objector suggesting curious animals could get stuck and injured in the metal artwork.

But architects Hollaway Studios, which has submitted designs on behalf of Mr Cox, said the replacement home “embodies a thoughtful response to its context”.

Company founder Guy Hollaway attended last night’s meeting to speak in favour of the bid.

He stressed they plan to “lovingly restore” the train carriage which forms part of the home to make it more visible.

“He’s [Mr Cox] a renowned local artist, he wants to create a family home, he likes the isolation, he likes the inspiration of the place and he wants to put his small statement on Dungeness and we’re doing that in a really sympathetic way,” Mr Hollaway added.

However, Dominic Gregory, who has lived in Dungeness for almost 20 years, attended to object to the plans, saying “they will turn the building from a simple home to a work of art by a high-profile artist”.

He continued: “It renders the outline of the railway carriages clad within as blockish and brutal and it obscures the modest origin of the building.

“I’m disturbed by the intention to laser cut the whole cladding with decorations which have no context within the building heritage of Dungeness conservation area.

“This is not an aesthetic judgement – no matter how subtle and well intentioned the decorations may be, they too obscure the modest origins of the building.

“While the conservation area continues to attract and inspire many artists it should not be confused with an art gallery.”

Prior to the meeting, Lydd Town Council had also objected, saying it would “result in loss of character”.

Councillors however were split on the plans.

Cllr Mike Blakemore (Green) was ambivalent, saying “yes, it restores the old railway carriages but then it hides them behind artwork”.

“I don’t feel like I’m getting a good impression of what this is going to look like in real life,” added Cllr Polly Blakemore (Green), seeking more detailed computer-generated images of the designs.

“I don’t really recognise how recognisable the artistry will be or from what distance the images will be identifiable,” she said.

However, Cllr Anita Jones (Green) said: “I think it’s a really exciting looking property. I like what they’ve done.

“I think it’s quite sympathetic and I think it's really good for the Romney Marsh to do things like this – we do want to increase tourism on the Marsh.”

Cllr Clive Goddard (Con) added: “Every time there’s a new development at Dungeness it's different, it's changing, the architects push the boundaries – it’s a living thing.”

It is not yet known when it will come back to the committee for a decision.

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Mr Cox, a former pupil at Homewood School in Tenterden, lives in St Michaels with his son and wife Alena in a mansion he has covered from top to bottom in black and white doodles.

He bought the 12-room home in December 2019 and two months later began renovating it and creating a white space for the canvas.