WHEN Kenneth Kelly built his “dream house” 30 years ago, he was looking forward to a new life in the country.

Now that dream has turned into a nightmare.

Mr Kelly, spent 10 years building the family house in Yarnton, while working at Pressed Steel in Oxford, and living on the city’s Blackbird Leys estate.

Now the grandfather has been left fuming after Cherwell District Council allowed a roundabout to be built right outside his home.

And because of its design, Mr Kelly can no longer turn into his house from one direction.

The roundabout has been built on Cassington Road, Yarnton, to give access to 168 new homes, which are being constructed in the fields opposite Mr Kelly’s house.

Berkeley Homes, which is building the houses, are almost half-way through the development, which started in July 2009.

The company also built the roundabout, which the council approved in May last year.

Mr Kelly said: “After all the work I’ve put into my property, to have the council come along and put a roundabout there, makes it look as though I don’t exist.

“It has upset me, and worrying about it is not doing my health any good.”

When Mr Kelly started work on his property, Cassington Road was a long, straight road.

He spent up to £30,000 on the house, buying building materials and hiring people to complete work he could not do himself.

For the first four years of the project he lived on site in a mobile home with his wife and young son.

Because of his job, he could only work on his house over the weekends.

He said: “This is my dream house, but the roundabout could knock tens of thousands off its value.

“Who would want to pay the right price for my house now it has such awkward access?”

Mr Kelly now lives in the house alone, after his wife died four years ago.

He said: “My wife would not have stood for this, she wouldn’t have sat back and let it happen.”

Michael Gibbard, county councillor for Kidlington and Yarnton, said he would look into the problem.

He said: “I’m going to talk to the Highways Agency to see whether the island can be modified.”

He added that it may be possible to remove the raised ‘splitter’ island and replace it with white road hatchings.

Mr Kelly said: “I would be all right with that because I would be able to go in and out of my entrance safely. That’s what I’m worried about.”

Highways Adoptions Officer Barry West said: “There is always a possibility that the site could be changed but we also have to make sure the site is safe and secure for other road users.”

He said the Highways Agency would talk to Berkeley Homes and do a site inspection as soon as possible.

Cherwell District Council spokesman Tony Ecclestone said Mr Kelly had been consulted about the road scheme by letter on January 19, 2009.