David and Victoria Beckham have secured planning permission to install extensive lighting around a lake at their £6.15 million Cotswolds home, despite objections from a critic who has been challenging planning applications linked to the celebrity couple’s Grade II-listed estate, according to the Daily Mail.The latest approval allows the Beckhams to install what has been described as “Blackpool-style” illumination around the lake at their country retreat. The decision comes despite objections from James Worthington, who has repeatedly criticised the couple’s planning proposals and accused them of changing the rural character of the area.
Beckham Cotswolds home faces criticism over ‘Miami or Florida’ features
Worthington had lodged several objections with West Oxfordshire District Council against planning applications connected to the Beckhams’ estate. He accused the couple of introducing features more suited to a suburban setting and claimed they were turning the countryside into “Miami or Florida”.However, despite presenting himself as a concerned local resident, Worthington acknowledged in one objection letter that he had been “working away from the UK since 2019”. His correspondence listed an address in Perth, Western Australia.In objection letters submitted to the council in 2023 and 2026, Worthington accused the Beckhams of damaging the rural character of the village and “drip-feeding” planning applications rather than presenting a long-term vision for the estate.He wrote, “Yet what is proposed is more akin to Miami or Florida not Great Tew.”He also questioned the extensive lighting proposed around the lake, writing, “Festooned lighting hanging along a ‘proposed bridge’… spotlights, is this really Great Tew or have I mistaken this area for Blackpool?”He added, “If the applicants want to live in suburbia, then why come to an area like Great Tew?”
David and Victoria Beckham given permission for boats and lake features
David and Victoria Beckham win planning approval for ‘Blackpool-style’ lake lights, hot tub and firepit at their £6.15 million Cotswolds home despite objections from an Australia-based critic. (Photo: Alamy)
The council has now approved the Beckams’ latest planning application, despite the couple previously installing a hot tub on the lake’s shore and a firepit on the island without permission.They have also been given permission to use non-motorised boats on the stretch of water, which their planners described as a “pond”. The kidney-shaped lake reportedly covers around 4,170 square metres, while its island measures approximately 122 square metres.Worthington also objected to the hot tub in a recent comment, writing, “Hot tub appears on the new layout plan. Maybe this is a new toy for the wildlife to have a soak after a long day trying to find food?”
Planning approval comes with conditions
The latest approval includes several conditions, including a ban on motorised boats. There is also a recommendation that the firepit should not be used during the March to August bird-nesting season.The extensive lighting around the lake was approved despite some reservations from the council’s ecology team. Officials questioned the need for spotlights at either end of the boardwalk leading to the island, particularly because downlights had also been proposed on posts.In a letter, the ecology team said, “I would question the need for the spotlights at either end of the boardwalk across to the island, as there are also downlighters on posts, but I don’t necessarily have a major issue with these, now that the spotlights lighting up the trees have been removed.”The council ultimately rejected concerns that the lighting could become a source of annoyance to neighbouring residents or harm wildlife.Planning officer Nathan Harris concluded in his report that the proposals would not have a significant negative impact on neighbouring properties.“Given the rural location of the site and the nature of the amendments proposed, officers do not consider that the revised landscaping or lighting details would result in any material adverse impacts on the amenity of neighbouring occupiers,” he stated.He added that the lighting scheme had been designed to minimise light spill and ecological impact, while noting that the council’s ecologist had raised no objections after amended plans were submitted.
Beckham estate has faced several planning disputes
The latest decision follows a separate planning dispute earlier this year involving a new driveway at the Beckhams’ Cotswolds estate. The couple won permission for the driveway, allowing them to avoid sharing access routes with visitors travelling to the neighbouring Soho Farmhouse.The Beckhams have faced scrutiny over their development plans for the property, with the couple reportedly submitting at least 30 planning applications over the past decade. They were accused in November of “abusing” the planning system.
Inside David and Victoria Beckham’s Cotswolds retreat
The Beckhams bought their Cotswolds country retreat for a reported £6.15 million in December 2016. The Grade II-listed property has since become one of the couple’s most talked-about homes.The estate also features prominently in the couple’s Netflix documentary Beckham, with the four-part series showing several scenes filmed at the property while exploring David Beckham‘s football career, personal life and marriage to Victoria.David and Victoria Beckham share four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.
