Villagers in Cley next the Sea, Norfolk, said the timber-clad house built for Adam Spiegel and his wife, Charlotte, “doesn’t fit in” with neighbouring properties, including St Margaret’s Church, which dates from the 14th century and sits opposite the couple’s home, The Times has reported.

North Norfolk District Council agreed with the assessment and said that the “intrusive” property was not built as authorised.

Spiegel, who has produced The Mousetrap and Hairspray, fought the decision for nearly four years. To keep the property standing, Spiegel agreed to demolish the top floor of the three-storey home by October 18.

This week builders and scaffolding could be seen outside the property, called Arcady, meaning “rustic paradise”, signalling an end to the planning saga.

The property’s towering top storey, which featured a flat roof, will be replaced by a pitched roof. It means the home, which sits among flint cottages, should be more in line with the character of the properties surrounding it.

At the height of the row, one resident, who wished to remain anonymous, had said of the property: “I don’t like it, it’s too big it just looks out of character with the rest of the village. We call it the Travelodge hotel because it is so big. At night it’s all lit up, it seems like every window is lit up.”

The couple had been in a planning dispute with the council since 2012, when they first lodged their application to knock down a small bungalow to make way for the new property. The application was initially rejected, but a subsequent appeal was successful and building work began in 2016.

However, the council then found the property was not being built in line with the approved plan, saying that it was too high, and that Spiegel would have to make a new application.

Despite this, construction continued and no new application was made, resulting in uproar amongst villagers. Many likened the home to a medieval castle, calling it “dystopian” and and saying that it “lit up like a Christmas tree.”

Spiegel lost another appeal and was required to completely demolish the property by October 18 this year. In response, he lodged a further application with the council in January, proposing to demolish the top floor of the three-storey property for it to be rebuilt.

His agent, Ian Scholfield, said the redesign had been drawn up after a public consultation event in the village.