A luxury seafront development infamous for ear-piercing banshee-like wailing has been handed the ‘Worst Building of 2023 Prize’.

Former Saga boss Sir Roger De Haan’s divisive 84 apartments in Folkestone – ranging from £430,000 to £2.1million – are nearly complete.

But national publication Private Eye took aim at the project this month, while also panning Sir Roger’s wider plans for 1,000 homes complex along the seafront.

His firm the Folkestone Harbour and Seafront Development Company (FHSDC), which is responsible for the estate, brushed off the unwanted accolade saying “taste is a matter of opinion”.

Previously, residents complained the new block dominates the skyline of the seaside town while blaming the noise on the building's balconies.

And when townhouses hit the market last year for up to £2.1 million, the development came in for criticism over a perceived “gentrification” of the seaside town – which Sir Roger has fiercely disputed.

This month, Private Eye wrote the 1,000 homes project is “one of the worst designs of 2023”, after the plans drew comparisons to “termite mounds and poo emojis”.

“But the really bad design prize must go to the almost-completed earlier phase of the same project, Shoreline Crescent,” the article adds.

“Not only are the beachfront flats vastly expensive in an area that desperately needs affordable homes, but the building’s shape and balconies generated a shrill whistling sound when it is windy (which is often, given the bracing sea air) that keeps neighbours awake at night.

“FHSDC says the noise will stop once construction is complete, with all balconies in place.

“However, the flats and their deluxe garden balconies (marketed as spaces packed with rattan furniture and potted plants) will still be exposed to high winds and storms, raising further questions as to whether anyone will ever want to live there year-round.”

The complex is the first phase of an overall masterplan for the town’s coastline, which will eventually see 1,000 homes line the entire beach from the Leas Lift to the harbour arm.

The plan for the homes to be created on the harbour arm – the eastern side of the beach – have been criticised by locals, who compared the look of them to something out of The Flintstones.

Shoreline is made up of townhouses and flats.

Bosses at FHSDC previously said work to stop the shrill sound would happen “imminently”.

It appears to come from the wind hitting the new luxury tower block, and neighbours say it can be heard “50-60ft away”.

Responding to the Private Eye article, A spokesman for FHSDC said: “Taste is subjective and a matter of opinion.

“A lot of time, effort and consultation went into the design of Shoreline to create a building that represents Folkestone’s proud heritage, whilst also looking forward to the town’s bright future.

“Shoreline is part of an agreed master plan that has seen a once derelict and neglected part of Folkestone turn into a vibrant and much loved amenity for locals and visitors alike – bringing jobs and prosperity to the town.”