James Corden has won a bitter legal battle regarding paving work at his £11.5 million house in north London.
Corden, 46, successfully appealed against Camden Council’s decision to refuse retrospective permission after he laid a number of paving slabs for his wheelie bins at the Victorian property.
The TV presenter and actor began landscaping last year without planning permission, removing approximately 11 square metres of flowerbed and repaving roughly 18 square metres of his front garden.
Local residents raised concerns about reduced biodiversity given the loss of the flowerbeds, and claimed that the work impacted the conservation area, designated for its unique architectural interest.
Camden Council said the paving work was “out of character with the local area” and “unsightly”, refusing Corden permission retroactively and telling him he risked enforcement action if he failed to comply.
Corden lodged an appeal to the planning inspectorate, sending a 26-page letter to the council arguing there was “no discernible change in the appearance of the front garden”.
Following a two-month appeal process, planning inspector Richard Gilbert concluded the plans would not have an “adverse effect” on the conservation area’s character, overturning the council’s decision.
Mr Gilbert said: “The proposal involves the loss of a small area of planting within the front garden of the appeal property, which the Council asserts would result in a loss of biodiversity.
“However, I have no substantive evidence before me of the biodiversity value of the planting which has been removed.”
He added that there was no evidence the surrounding trees had been damaged at all.
Corden moved into the property with his wife and three children in 2024, and submitted a planning application after work began last year, in which his planning agents said the slabs had been repurposed from his back garden and new trees had been planted.
However, several neighbours submitted formal objections through planning documents, with one arguing that if every property in the conservation area paved over similar amounts of flowerbed, "there would be a very serious negative impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area".
Local resident Jane Butler questioned whether the bin space was necessary for a “single-family dwelling”, while Deborah Buzan, who has lived on the road for 40 years, claimed the paving “reduces the enjoyment of residents” who now face looking at a “barren” strip of land.
Councillor Tom Simon, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Camden Council, objected to the plans as well, saying “There is no valid justification for the loss of green space in this instance, so the application should be resisted.”
Mr Corden's planning representatives defended the project, stating that four new trees had been planted alongside a mix of plants to enhance the landscaping.
They said that the work did "not impact or diminish the positive contribution that the property makes to the special character and appearance of the area".
