David and Victoria Beckham slammed by furious neighbour who begs them to stop building work at £6m Cotswolds home
DAVID and Victoria Beckham have been slammed by a furious neighbour for “trying to bring suburbia to the countryside”.
The superstar pair have put forward major plans for their £6million Cotswolds home this year including a 24-hour security gatehouse, an underground tunnel and wine cellar.
Their latest proposed project, a large kidney-shaped swimming lake, has been met with fierce criticism from neighbours.
Local resident Michael Douglas voiced his concern in an email to the council having previously objected to the gatehouse.
He wrote: “I now note a further new application has been submitted regarding the Beckham’s Barn, regarding change of use of land to extend the residential curtilage and installation of ‘a heart shaped pond’.
“What they appear to want is to bring suburbia into the countryside, if they had wanted all they have applied for why not find an estate which was big enough to accommodate all of this.”
Mr Douglas fears the project will lead to more buildings in the future and believes a hill to increase the Beckhams’ privacy will be a blot on the landscape.
The angry resident even questioned why the Beckhams decided to relocate to the area given the amount of work they’ve done to the property and its grounds.
He continued: “The fact they want to use the soil dug out for this proposed pond and a Bund to protect their privacy changes the whole landscape of the area of fields.
“The statement says ‘The intention for the pond is to improve the landscape aesthetically’ how can you improve the landscape around Great Tew and surrounding areas, what you have at the moment is crop, planted fields, that’s what farm land is and used for, it’s always been green and planted and the land has always been fields.
“They also add ‘to the enjoyment of family living’. If they don’t want to live in the countryside in an open area of green fields why buy the properties in the first instance after all they have properties in Los Angeles, Florida, New York and London.”
The Beckhams’ pad neighbours the trendy Soho Farmhouse retreat which is a popular rural getaway for celebs.
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Taking another dig at their desire for more privacy, Mr Douglas said “had they wanted more privacy why buy barns so close to a public lane which all members of the public can use even those attending Soho House. I believe the planning department need to draw a line and refuse this new planning application.”
Two other locals have also objected to the lake proposal and the council is yet to decide on whether to allow the work to go ahead.
Ecology chiefs want to encourage great crested newts – a native species of the amphibian – to colonise the new lake and they are worried that fish would eat their larvae.
And that’s not the only special condition the Beckhams have to follow to cater to the local wildlife.
They also can’t have floodlights around the water as these could confuse bats.
The council also want them to make underground chambers – called hibernacula – for animals like hedgehogs to hibernate.
Posh and Becks will now have to submit a five-year plan on how they will maintain the habitat around the water.
The local council’s assistant biodiversity officer Esther Frizell-Armitage said in a report to planning chiefs: “The scheme should ensure that fish are not introduced into the pond to provide suitable habitat for species such as great crested newts.
“I further recommend that hibernacula is created to provide additional opportunities for species such as reptiles, amphibians and hedgehogs.
“A comprehensive landscaping scheme will need to be prepared to detail the above habitat features that are to be created, along with a 5-year maintenance plan.
“All works should be carried out in accordance with the statement to ensure that harm to reptiles and amphibians is avoided.
“Furthermore, I recommend that a sensitive external lighting strategy is prepared to ensure that the existing and proposed habitat features on site (e.g. the wildlife pond, the native hedgerows, trees, wildflower meadow area and bunds) are not illuminated by the external lighting as this can disturb commuting and foraging bat species.
“The details of the external lighting should be submitted as a condition of planning consent.”
West Oxfordshire District Council will decide whether to grant planning permission on the scheme at the couple’s home near Great Tew in the coming weeks.
Two other neighbours close to the Beckhams’ £6 have complained about the plan for the lake.
One resident described the feature as being “monstrous” and another feared the development could have an impact on the water table.
The couple also hope to build a sauna at the side of the water and a jetty.