Plans for an oak-framed balcony at the west elevation of the west wing of David and Victoria Beckham's Cotswolds home have been rejected by local council officials. The proposed addition was described as a 'non-starter' by the council's senior conservation and design officer.
Planning officer Nathan Harris cited concerns regarding the 'siting and design' of the balcony, stating it would 'detract from the simple agricultural character and form' of the nine-bedroom property. Harris noted that while the residence is not listed, the proposal would not 'conserve and enhance the building'.
Bryan Martin, the senior conservation and design officer, further elaborated on the rejection, branding the balcony a 'domesticating feature' that would 'obscure the threshing doorway – a characteristic feature'. Martin concluded there was 'no obvious way to do anything like it'. The Beckhams purchased the Oxfordshire property for £6.15 million in 2016.
This decision follows a previous ruling by an ecologist that Sir David Beckham should remove a 'fire pit' from an island in the property's man-made lake.
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