Blow for Ricky Gervais as he’s forced to STOP building incredible £5m riverside mansion after row with council
“The applicant should not assume that a permit will automatically be forthcoming once planning permission has been granted, and we advise them to consult with us at the earliest opportunity.
“The applicant would need to demonstrate that the proposed works will not adversely impact on flood risk or the watercourse.”
In its section on advising Gervais and his team, the EA wrote: “We strongly recommend the use of flood resistance and resilience measures.
“Physical barriers, raised electrical fittings and special construction materials are just some of the ways you can help reduce flood damage.”
Mr Murray said to overcome its objection, Gervais and his team would also need to submit an ecological survey to ensure measures were “realistic, achievable and would provide the level of biodiversity Net Gain required.”
In response to the claims, Gervais planning agent outlined what it claimed were several “errors” in the EA response.
They added: “Our report states that the proposed development will not result in flood water displacement as the proposals will not increase the building’s footprint.”
In previous planning documents submitted for the rebuild, Gervais’ agent outlined the benefits of replacing the current home.
They added: “The existing dwelling is of poor design quality, performs poorly in sustainability terms and has a disjointed internal layout.
“Any new dwelling should therefore be of high design quality internally and externally with substantially enhanced sustainability credentials.
“The proposed scheme seeks to create a high-quality, sustainable dwelling that will be flood resilient and significantly enhances its build and natural surroundings, while also providing an enhanced standard of living accommodation.
“The proposal aims to take advantage of its riverside location by maximising views to the River Thames and providing open and spacious living spaces as opposed to the smaller segregated spaces currently provided with the existing dwelling.”
Gervais, who lives with partner Jane Fallon, had submitted a flood assessment risk as part of the failed application.
Referring to the flood risk, his agent added: “‘This is a considerable increase in the ground floor level.
“Combined with the increased flood storage beneath the building footprint, decreased building footprint on site and the improvement in flood resilient measures, there will be a marked improvement in the flood risk level attributed to and from thus dwelling.
“Though the improvements do not remove this dwelling completely from flood risk, they provide a marked improvement to the safety of the occupiers, providing a significant increase in floor levels which in turn delivers more time to respond to a flooding event.”
Gervais bought the property, which is part of a wide portfolio of homes, in 2014 for £2.75m.
It’s current valuation is said to be worth more than £4m.