Furious neighbours have accused David and Victoria Beckham of “abusing” the planning system in order to make significant changes to their £6m Cotswolds home.
Planning documents show angry submissions made to West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) arguing that the Beckhams had “drip fed” more than 30 applications, instead of submitting one master plan, in a bid to “make sure they get what they want”.
Since buying the three listed barns for £6,150,000 in 2016, the couple have added a new driveway and gates, an additional garage outbuilding, a tennis court, a treehouse, a security hut, an extension to the garage outbuilding, and a landscaped pond and “beach”.
The Beckhams recently applied to change and extend an existing lane to make a second entrance to their Chipping Norton home, as well as to make “improvements” to the kerb and gates at the entrance.
But the application, elements of which were submitted retrospectively, was labelled a “joke” by agitated neighbours, who said the couple had already “laid the road, installed gates, laid an electricity supply to the gate ... planted trees, [and] installed post and rail fencing along both sides of this track” before asking for permission.
One neighbour accused the council of failing to ask the couple for a master plan and instead allowing them to submit smaller applications incrementally.
“Before long, I am sure by recent events the five barred gate will be changed, stone pillars will be constructed with a 6ft high solid double electric gates installed with CCTV and lighting on the pillars,” he wrote.
“Lighting along the track will be installed, mark my words this will happen, maybe not now but in a few months. Just like the small pond approved on the 4th of August 2020, and with hardly time to get ones feet wet another application approved on 8th of January 2021 for a large lake with an island, oh and not forgetting the beach.
“I hope this time the Council will act and do something about this, it’s unfair to those residents who abide by planning legislation but when it is abused the Council must and should act and I trust they will do so with this application,” he added.
The neighbour added that there had been “one rule for some”, writing: “I warned WODC about this in various letters during 2021 to 2023, but NO action was taken, was it because of who the applicant was, as some would say one rule for the applicants another for others in WODC, others in the area are not so lucky I could name several but have refrained from doing so.”
Another objector said: “Hello, I must strongly object to this proposal. The house already has [one] perfectly serviceable access road so why is another stretch of tarmac laid through the woods deemed a good idea. Ramblers use the lane and they should be left undistur[b]ed by giant SUV’s lumbering up and down [sic]. Please do not allow this application.”
The application is still pending approval.
Representatives of the Beckhams and WODC have been contacted for comment.
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