'Come and see what we are doing'....that is the message from the new owners of the landmark St Augustine Villa in Ventnor after they were accused of architectural vandalism.

Ventnor man Melvin Hurst wrote to the County Press accusing new owner Tom Fahey of bringing architecture into disrepute over his treatment of the windows in the building.

Now, Mr Fahey has repeated his invitation for anyone with concerns to go along and see what they were doing, including work to the windows, which he said were in keeping with those at neighbouring buildings.

Mr Hurst said: "There is renovation work currently being undertaken at the villa, which includes replacing the windows fronting Shore Hill and The Esplanade.

"Perfectly understandable in an old building, but the new windows have single, large panes of glass in them, altering the character of the frontages irretrievably."

He said the original windows were divided into smaller panes, in keeping with the glass technology of the Georgian and Victorian period.

This led to the familiar, and aesthetically pleasing, appearance of their frontages, Mr Hurst said.

He said: "The new panes have presumably been inserted to give guests a better sea view, but just because something is possible with new technology it doesn’t mean that it should be adopted.

"Anyone know the number of the architecture police?"

Mr Fahey, who plans to open The Terrace Rooms, Ventnor, at the villa, said: "We’re really ploughing everything into St Augustine, truly our heart and souls with nothing but best intent for all stakeholders and I include local residents as chief among these.

Read more: Complaints of Ventnor becoming a ghost town due to works

"My wife, Ashley’s, grandparents had a guesthouse in Ventnor for many years, so we have a genuine attachment to the town."

He said the windows were the only element of the entire refurbishment where we have stepped away visually from the original design, but given they are a direct replacement for some really awful PVC, I was hopeful they would be seen as a step forward.

He said "So far we have had multiple passers by stop and comment on how happy they are with the project, specifically the windows.

"When you see the views from the inside without bars it is so hard not to view the change as progress

"With the building not being listed we have had a reasonably free hand to make sensitive progress in line with modern, sympathetic hotel design on which we’ve widely sought guidance. "