Somerset Council has issued an enforcement notice requiring the demolition of a seven‑bedroom house at a rural estate in Stoney Stoke, Somerset, after finding that extensions and alterations were carried out without planning permission.
The property, owned by television presenter and property developer Sarah Beeny, has been the subject of a years‑long dispute with local residents and the council. Beeny, who bought the estate in 2018, completed extensive works to a 1970s farmhouse before gaining retrospective consent; a subsequent application to retain additional alterations was refused and an appeal was dismissed in March.
A council spokesman said a site visit was planned "later this month or early October" and that officers would attend with "the appropriate specialists" to determine next steps after the inspection. The authority has indicated that enforcement officers and ecological experts will be present.
Local objections have centred on the scale and character of the works, and on ecological concerns after bats were found at the farmhouse. Charlton Musgrove Parish Council has repeatedly objected to unauthorised development on the estate, saying the current works contradicted earlier approvals under which the original farmhouse was to be demolished to make way for a new house.
Neighbours have voiced frustration. One resident, identified by The Sun as Kevin Flint, said the works had "created a lot of bad feeling in the village" and suggested unauthorised structures should be removed. The Daily Mail and other outlets have described the completed house as a "mini Downton Abbey" and put its value at about £3 million.
Beeny’s renovations have been featured on her Channel 4 series New Life in the Country. The presenter previously faced a separate, two‑year battle with the council over a large treehouse built without planning permission, and secured retrospective consent in that case after arguing change of use for garden extension. Other structures at the estate — including a thatched boathouse and a greenhouse — were also built without prior approval and prompted scrutiny.
Last year Beeny withdrew plans to convert two barns on the site into four dwellings after local objections. Parish councillors had also objected to earth banks that were constructed without planning permission, saying they should be removed.
Somerset Council’s enforcement notice in this case follows the refusal of retrospective planning permission and the dismissal of an appeal. The council will decide on enforcement action after the forthcoming site inspection and specialist assessments, the spokesman said.
Representatives for Ms. Beeny were approached for comment.