Luxury £2,800-a-night Airbnb is shut down after furious neighbours said their quiet rural lane had been turned into a ‘stag and hen do party palace’

A luxury £2,800-a-night Airbnb mansion has been ordered to close after angry neighbors said its quiet rural streets had been turned into a hen party palace.

The six-bedroom cottage in Aughton, near Sheffield, has been advertised online as a ‘perfect celebration venue’ for up to 22 guests, boasting an indoor swimming pool, hot tub and sauna.

Tucked away behind private electric gates and surrounded by the South Yorkshire countryside, the spacious property promised groups ‘relaxation comparable to the best spas’ and ‘everything you need for a fun break’.

But residents said the luxury rural retreat known as Stevenage had turned into a nightmare, with loud music, fireworks, drunken shouting and complaints about screaming guests.

A neighboring equestrian center complained about ‘adult items’ being found dumped outside the property ‘on numerous occasions’.

‘This is extremely inappropriate in an area where children regularly walk from school and attend riding lessons here,’ Smallage Equestrian Center told the local council.

The written complaint also said the horses were ‘frightened’ by loud music and fireworks outdoors, as well as ‘shouting and drunken behaviour, often containing offensive language’.

The party unit was ordered to stop operating as a short-term holiday let after the planning inspector backed Rotherham council’s enforcement action.

The six-bedroom cottage in Aughton, near Sheffield, has been advertised online as a ‘perfect celebration venue’ for up to 22 people

Council documents said the property, said to have ‘all the mod cons’ including a ‘best-in-class pool table’, had been used for short-term rentals since 2022 and was promoted online as a ‘Hen Party House’.

The decision means the business must permanently cease trading within three months.

Council documents said the property, said to have ‘all the mod cons’ including a ‘top-of-the-line pool table’, had been used for short-term rentals since 2022 and was promoted online as a ‘Hen Party House’.

Complaints were first recorded in October of that year; one report claimed ‘all-night parties’ at weekends, fires near hayfields and guests driving after drinking.

A diary presented to the council listed incidents in April and May 2025, including loud music and shouting throughout the day and ‘shouting from noon’ by an all-male group.

When town hall officials carried out monitoring visits after hours that summer, officers could hear music emanating from within the property and ‘quite loud and boisterous’ singing and shouting.

On July 25 last year, following a complaint about loud noise, council officers attended a meeting and saw a group of women wearing hen attire outside the main gates.

They later reported that ‘many women were screaming and laughing’ over the loud music.

The noise was described as ‘excessive’ and was deemed to constitute a legal nuisance.

Further complaints came last September, when approximately ’30 to 40′ people were seen ‘yelling and screaming’ in the front garden.

A trumpet was then heard blowing and the noise could be heard 250 meters away.

Tucked away behind private electric gates and surrounded by the South Yorkshire countryside, the spacious property promised groups ‘relaxation comparable to the best spas’ and ‘everything you need for a fun break’.

Owner Nancy Bernard, whose surname appears above the electric gates, lost an appeal against her planning application which was rejected (Image: Inside Airbnb)

The large property features a sauna, hot tub and swimming pool and can accommodate more than 20 guests.

Despite the ruling, the property (pictured) remains available to book on Airbnb – priced from £14,300 for five nights in November

Rotherham Council, which refused retrospective planning permission for the house to be used as a holiday home, said last October: ‘The current operation of this property results in a significant drain on resources from both the council and the police.

‘What is clear from the enforcement history below is that after three years of letting and periodic intervention by the council, landlords cannot be seen to control the use of the property and unacceptable behavior still continues.’

Property owner Nancy Bernard, whose surname can be seen above the electric gates, lost an appeal against her planning application, which was rejected, claiming the council had ‘essentially overreacted to a noisy local objector’.

He said there were ‘only three complaints about noise’ and all cases were investigated and closed.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘As is clear in the original application, there is a campaign against this business being run by an annoying individual who does not live a few miles away.

‘None of the people who made representations against the development application live within one mile of the site and no evidence has been provided to substantiate their claims. As you can see the only real neighbor supported the application.

‘The property does not produce unacceptable levels of noise and all guests are respectful of the area. The council describes it as a quiet area but opposite there is a kennel and a busy equestrian center where more than 40 clients use it as horse clothing.’

In January a planning inspector concluded: ‘Although there is no doubt that many guests will respect the environment, letting to very large groups will inevitably increase the potential for noise and limit the potential to control it.

‘From the information submitted, it is clear that activities on the site, particularly since April 2025, have created a level of noise and disturbance that goes well beyond what could reasonably be expected from a large family residence.’

Following the objection, Rotherham Municipality took a decision to sanction the complex not to be rented.

Ms Bernard challenged the notice, which she lost at a hearing at the independent Planning Inspectorate this month.

He argued that measures could be taken to address noise concerns, including limiting the number of guests to 15 and assigning an on-site manager.

But planning inspector Peter Willows said only ‘complete discontinuation’ would remedy the ‘breach of planning control’.

Despite the decision, the property remains available for booking via Airbnb; The price for five nights in November is £14,300.

A review from last June says: ‘Perfect pad for our stag group. Lots of great activities and things to do. Kids loved it. Sleeping arrangements were a bit tight for 22 children but still manageable.’

Another from April this year concluded: ‘Pad was sick, he was a great stag’, while another guest wrote: ‘Just returned from a Hen Do weekend at this resort and all I can say is WOW.’