David and Victoria Beckham have been more open than ever in recent weeks – between her Netflix documentary and his guest editing stint on Country Life, the Beckhams have been giving us more access than ever into their lives. However, their attempts to open up new access to their £12 million Cotswolds home is causing some difficulty with neighbours. In a long list of planning applications that seem to have upset the locals, the newest Beckham expansion plan has caused a particularly large stir.
The former footballer and his Spice Girl wife have applied for planning permission to transform an agricultural track into a tarmac-laid access route to their Maplewood Barn Home. The aim seems to be to avoid the crowds of people swarming to the nearby Soho Farmhouse – but the residents of the area are not at all happy.
The parents-of-four have applied to the West Oxfordshire District Council to extend the agricultural track to connect to their existing driveway and improve dropped kerb access, according to Daily Mail. The publication also states that the Beckhams claimed the existing access to their road is 'problematic', as it is a single-use cul-de-sac that cannot handle the volume of traffic it currently sees.
Residents expressed their discontent to the newspaper, with one saying that they "strongly object" to the proposal, adding: "The house already has got a perfectly serviceable access road, so why is another stretch of tarmac laid through the woods deemed a good idea?"
In their planning documents, according to the publication, a representative of the Beckhams described the proposed changes as a "modest, sensitively designed conversion", arguing that it would "modestly upgrade the existing crossover and gates" on the road for "safe residential use".
It was also asserted that: "The works respond to operational, safety and amenity needs, while being carefully designed to conserve the rural, heritage and landscape character of the area," adding that "an agricultural, low-key character" would remain, and any lighting, if required at a later point, would be "minimal".
David and Victoria Beckham's Cotswolds mansion
In 2016, the Beckham couple decided to forge a countryside life for themselves and their four children, with David admitting to being inspired by Guy Ritchie. They purchased the property in Chipping Norton for £6 million at the time and have since invested millions into renovating the place.