Blur bassist Alex James has voiced strong objections to extensive earthworks undertaken by his neighbor, the luxury holiday chalet park Bluewood Lodges, near his 200-acre farm in Kingham, Cotswolds. James alleges the 'massive' construction is being carried out without permission and is causing significant harm to the landscape.
James, 57, is campaigning for the area, an officially recognized area of outstanding natural beauty, to be restored to its previous condition. The dispute appears to be linked to a planning application previously refused by West Oxfordshire Council. In July, the council rejected plans by Bluewood Lodges to relocate a 14-foot-high maintenance shed to a more discreet location closer to James's farm. Planning officers cited that the development would fail to protect or enhance the local landscape and would cause unacceptable harm to the Cotswolds National Landscape.
James had formally objected to these plans, with his concerns, as detailed by landscape architecture practice Portus + Whitton, including the potential for the barn to break the skyline and to represent an expansion of the holiday park into the open countryside. These arguments were contested by Land Studio, architects for Bluewood Lodges, who had prepared a landscape visual appraisal in support of the application.
This is not the first planning disagreement between James and Bluewood Lodges. In 2022, James led a protest against proposals to add 12 holiday chalets with hot tubs near his farm's boundary. He described the proposed 4-meter-tall wooden chalets as 'odd, out of character and alien to the sensitive location.' He was joined in his opposition by figures such as racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks and banker Hugh van Cutsem. Despite an initial recommendation for refusal, local councillors had granted permission for the chalets. However, this decision was later overturned by the Planning Inspectorate in 2024 following an appeal.
James recently launched a petition urging public support to 'save the view' from his farm, emphasizing the value of the landscape and calling for its return to its former state without further development. The musician also hosted his annual Big Feastival on his farm over the August Bank Holiday weekend, which featured over 20,000 attendees and performances from artists including Basement Jaxx, Rudimental, Bastille, and The Streets. James described the festival as 'bigger and better than ever.'