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'

Published: 00:39, 22 June 2026 | Updated: 00:39, 22 June 2026 A luxury £2,800-a-night Airbnb mansion has been ordered to shut down after furious neighbours said their quiet rural lane had been turned into a stag and hen do party palace. The six-bedroom country house in Aughton, near Sheffield, was advertised online as an 'ultimate celebration venue' for up to 22 guests, boasting a covered swimming pool, hot tub and sauna. Hidden behind private electric gates and surrounded by South Yorkshire countryside, the sprawling property promised groups 'relaxation comparable to top spas' and 'everything you need for a fun break'. But residents said the lavish rural retreat, known as Stevenage, had become a nightmare - with complaints of loud music, fireworks, drunken shouting and screaming guests. A neighbouring horse-riding centre complained how 'adult items' were found discarded outside the property 'on many occasions'. 'This is extremely inappropriate in an area where children walk regularly from the school and attend riding lessons here,' Smallage Equestrian Centre protested to the local council. The written complaint also told of horses being 'spooked' by loud outdoor music and fireworks, as well as 'shouting and drunken behaviour, often with offensive language'. Now the party pad has been ordered to stop operating as a short-term holiday let after a planning inspector backed Rotherham council’s enforcement action. The Airbnb was advertised online as an 'ultimate celebration venue' for up to 22 guests, boasting a covered swimming pool (pictured), hot tub and sauna The six-bedroom country house in Aughton, near Sheffield, was advertised online as an 'ultimate celebration venue' for up to 22 guests Council papers said the property - said to have 'all mod cons' including a 'top of the range pool table' - had been used for short-term rentals since 2022, and was found promoted online as a ‘Stag/Hen Party House' The ruling means the business must permanently cease trading within three months. Council papers said the property - said to have 'all mod cons' including a 'top of the range pool table' - had been used for short-term rentals since 2022, and was found promoted online as a ‘Stag/Hen Party House'. Complaints were first recorded in October that year, when one report alleged 'all night parties' at weekends, fires near hay fields and guests driving after drinking. A diary submitted to the council listed incidents in April and May 2025, including loud music and shouting throughout the day, an all-male group 'shouting from midday'. When town hall officials carried out out-of-hours monitoring visits that summer, officers could hear music blaring from inside the property and 'fairly loud and boisterous' singing and shouting. On July 25 last year, council officers attended after a complaint of loud noise and saw a group of women in hen-do clothes outside the main gates. They later reported loud music followed by 'lots of females screaming and laughing'. The noise was described as 'extreme' and considered to constitute a statutory nuisance. Further complaints followed last September when around '30 to 40' people were seen in the front garden, 'shouting and screaming'. A trumpet was later heard being played - with the noise audible from 250m away. Hidden behind private electric gates and surrounded by South Yorkshire countryside, the sprawling property promised groups 'relaxation comparable to top spas' and 'everything you need for a fun break' Owner Nancy Bernard - whose surname can be seen plastered across the electric gates - lost an appeal against the rebuffed planning application (Pictured: Inside the Airbnb) The large property has a sauna and hot tub, as well as a swimming pool, and can cater to more than 20 guests Despite the ruling, the property (pictured) remains available to book on Airbnb - with five nights in November priced at £14,300  Refusing retrospective planning permission for the house to be used as a holiday let, Rotherham Council said last October: 'The current operation of this property causes a significant draw on resources of both council and police. 'What is clear from the enforcement history below, is that after three years of letting, and periodic intervention by the council, the hosts cannot be seen to have controlled the use of the property and unacceptable behaviour is still occurring.' Owner Nancy Bernard - whose surname can be seen plastered across the electric gates - lost an appeal against the rebuffed planning application, claiming that the council had 'essentially overreacted to a vociferous local objector'. She said there had 'only been three complaints about noise' and all the cases were investigated and closed. She told the Daily Mail: 'As is clear in the original application, a campaign has been led by one vexatious person, who does not live within several miles, against this business.  'None of the people who submitted statements against the planning application live within a mile of the site and no evidence was supplied to corroborate any of their claims. The only actual neighbour has supported the application, as you will have seen.  'The property does not make an unacceptable level of noise and all guests are respectful of the area. The council describes it as a tranquil area but there is a kennels opposite as well as the busy equestrian centre with over 40 customers using it for horse livery.' A planning inspector concluded in January: 'Whilst many guests would no doubt respect the environment, renting to very large groups, would inevitably increase the potential for noise and limit the potential for controlling it. 'Based on the information submitted, it is apparent that the activities at the site have resulted in a level of noise and disturbance, particularly since April 2025, that has gone far beyond that which could reasonably be expected from a large family dwelling.' Following the appeal, Rotherham Council then took enforcement action ordering the complex to stop being rented out. Ms Bernard appealed that notice - which she this month lost at a hearing of the independent Planning Inspectorate. She argued that measures could be put in place to address noise concerns, including limiting the number of guests to 15, and employing on-site manager. But planning inspector Peter Willows said only 'complete cessation' would remedy the 'breach of planning control'. Despite the ruling, the property remains available to book on Airbnb - with five nights in November priced at £14,300. One review from last June states: 'The perfect pad for our stag do group. Loads of great activities and things to do. The lads loved it. Sleeping arrangements were a bit tight for 22 lads but still manageable.' Another, from April this year, concluded: 'Pad was sick, it was a great stag', while another guest wrote: 'I have just got home from my Hen Do weekend at this property and WOW is all I can say.' No comments have so far been submitted. 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