David and Victoria Beckham win right to build new office at their £6m Grade II-listed Cotswolds home as long as they share it with the birds and the bats

  • David and Victoria Beckham granted planning permission to build new office at their £6m country mansion
  • Couple submitted an application to West Oxfordshire District Council to build an outhouse earlier this year 
  • Council said they must 'ensure that bats, birds, badgers, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians are protected'

Advertisement

David and Victoria Beckham have been granted planning permission to build a new office at their £6m country mansion - on the condition they look after the existing wildlife there.

The celebrity couple submitted an application to West Oxfordshire District Council to build an outhouse at their  Grade-II listed property in the Cotswolds earlier this year.

The planning application has now been approved by the local council as long as the celebrity couple share it with birds and bats that live there.  

David and Victoria must 'ensure that bats, birds, badgers, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians are protected in accordance with The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.'

David and Victoria Beckham have been granted planning permission by West Oxfordshire District Council to build an outhouse at their Grade-II listed property in the Cotswolds

David and Victoria Beckham have been granted planning permission by West Oxfordshire District Council to build an outhouse at their Grade-II listed property in the Cotswolds

The celebrity couple, who submitted an application to build an outhouse at their property this year, must 'ensure that bats, birds, badgers, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians are protected'. Pictured: The couple's home pictured in 2017

The celebrity couple, who submitted an application to build an outhouse at their property this year, must 'ensure that bats, birds, badgers, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians are protected'. Pictured: The couple's home pictured in 2017

David and Victoria will also be prohibited from installing any outdoor fixtures which 'would directly illuminate the bat box or the hedge-row'. Pictured: The couple's garden at their £6m country mansion

David and Victoria will also be prohibited from installing any outdoor fixtures which 'would directly illuminate the bat box or the hedge-row'. Pictured: The couple's garden at their £6m country mansion 

They are also prohibited from installing any outdoor fixtures which 'would directly illuminate the bat box or the hedge-row without prior approval to protect roosting, foraging or community bats.'

The planners said: 'Before the erection of any external walls, details of the provision of at least one integrated bat box and at least one integrated bird box within the walls of the new building shall be submitted to the local planning authority for approval.' 

The outdoor building, which will be used as an office and high-tech vehicle storage space, will be designed to have two open frontage bays and an open roof structure to provide an 'attractive environment for nesting birds and bats.'      

The new structure, which replaces an old outbuilding, will be designed with a traditional gabled form.

It will be made using a timber post and beam frames with pillars supported on staddle stones.

Buggies and quad bikes are listed as examples of the vehicles and garden machinery that would be stored there.

In earlier correspondence from the council to the couple, regarding the plans, it was noted that several measures to enhance native species in the area would need to be followed.

The council's biodiversity officer, Esther Frizell-Armitage, said in a letter this included adding several specific biodiversity enhancements, which include planting at least six different tree species to create 'native' hedgerows around the new development.

According to the applications submitted, David and Victoria have promised their outbuilding will offer 'new roosting and nesting opportunities for bats and birds'. Pictured: Proposed plans submitted to the council

According to the applications submitted, David and Victoria have promised their outbuilding will offer 'new roosting and nesting opportunities for bats and birds'. Pictured: Proposed plans submitted to the council

The outdoor building will be designed to have two open frontage bays and an open roof structure to provide an 'attractive environment for nesting birds and bats'. (Stock image)

The outdoor building will be designed to have two open frontage bays and an open roof structure to provide an 'attractive environment for nesting birds and bats'. (Stock image)

New lighting to be introduced will be designed to minimise light spillage and pollution and will not directed on to any bird/bat boxes installed', according to the plans. (Stock image of a bat box)

New lighting to be introduced will be designed to minimise light spillage and pollution and will not directed on to any bird/bat boxes installed', according to the plans. (Stock image of a bat box)

It was also noted that the Beckhams must have 'a five-year aftercare maintenance plan' and there must be 'no external lighting' that could harm wildlife.

The celebrity couple purchased their countryside abode, which is estimated to be worth around £6.15 million, in December 2016.

Features of the countryside estate, located close to the private member's club, Soho Farmhouse, include a huge football pitched, an outdoor pool, and a sauna. 

It is also said to contain a wine cellar, a plunge pool, and an enormous garage, fitted with expensive cars and a motorbike.  

In May, the couple revealed their plans for the barn, when they submitted the plans to West Oxfordshire District Council

Plans show the couple want a large 'machinery' shed at their £6 million bolthole on the Great Tew Estate will help with their hobbies of gardening and farming.

The celebrity couple (pictured with children Brooklyn, Cruz, Harper and Romeo) purchased their countryside abode in December 2016 and features include a huge football pitched, an outdoor pool, and a sauna

The celebrity couple (pictured with children Brooklyn, Cruz, Harper and Romeo) purchased their countryside abode in December 2016 and features include a huge football pitched, an outdoor pool, and a sauna

But they also need space for the large array of tools to help them tend to their sprawling lawns, tennis courts, treehouse and even a huge lake they have won planning permission to build.

A design statement said: 'The proposed garden machinery store is to be used solely in association with the main dwelling house.

'It will serve as a machinery store for tractors, lawn mowers and other machinery required to manage the garden and grounds, including the adjacent fields which the owners have leased from Great Tew Estate.'   

The Beckham family are said to bounce between their Oxfordshire home, a £31 million mansion in London, and a £19 million penthouse in Miami, Florida.  

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.