Princess of Wales Kate's brother fights conservationists over demolishing part ... trends now
The Princess of Wales’ brother James Middleton has sparked a row with conservationists over plans to demolish part of his historic 16th Century farmhouse in Berkshire.
And while Kate and William are engulfed in the hornet’s nest stoked up by the bombshell ‘Megflix’ documentary, James has bats to deal with closer to home.
The entrepreneur and his French financier wife Alizée Thevanet want to take a sledgehammer to a conservatory and 'unsightly' garage at their £1.45million Grade II listed country house.
But they face two obstacles: objections by conservationists over the scale of the work and bat’s nests at the property which will require special permission before work can begin.
Kate Middleton's brother James Middleton and his French financier wife Alizée Thevanet want to take a sledgehammer to a conservatory and 'unsightly' garage at their Berkshire home
James, 35, younger brother of Catherine, Princess of Wales, has also unveiled plans to build a new entrance lobby and open porch, and move internal stairs into the kitchen in a Grand Designs-style makeover.
But officials at the local council say the proposed new barn-style garage and studio is too big and would detract from the listed building which also lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
A conservation official at West Berkshire Council has called for planning permission to be refused.
'Whilst the existing garage is of no architectural merit, its diminutive size does at least allow the garage to sit unobtrusively within the site,’ wrote conservation and design chief Debra Inston to the planning committee.
The couple face two obstacles - opposition from conservationists over the scale of the work and a bat’s nests at the property which will require special permission before work can start
Local council officials say the proposed new barn-style garage and studio is too big and would detract from the listed building which also lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
'It is a modest structure of limited bulk and scale which is clearly subservient to [the house] and does not detract from its setting.
'The new garage would be of a size, scale, bulk and height that would be significantly bigger than the current garage…the proposal would therefore fail to preserve the special architectural and historic interest of this listed building.'
Meanwhile an ecology survey revealed the farmhouse is being used as a day roost by common and soprano pipistrelle bats – both protected species.
It means that James will now have to apply for a special licence from Natural England before building work is carried out and
