Singer Ed Sheeran has reportedly been ordered to remove a toilet from his £3.3 million Grade II listed flat in West London due to planning permission violations. According to reports, a council enforcement notice was issued after a waste pipe was fitted without the necessary approvals.
Sheeran's team has applied for retrospective permission to keep the toilet, but if it is not granted, the fixture will have to be removed. Representatives for the singer stated that the works undertaken were minor and did not affect the historic structure of the property.
During renovations, a partition wall was also reportedly removed to create an open-plan kitchen and living area. A source indicated that the property, acquired by Sheeran nine years ago, had two en-suite bedrooms created where the alleged breach occurred.
In separate property news, Sheeran is also planning to convert six historic barns at his £1.1 million farm in Suffolk into storage for a music archive. These barns, dating back to at least 1870, are described as being in ruins. Sheeran purchased the 400-year-old Grade II listed farm two years ago.
He recently received permission from Mid-Suffolk District Council to convert a 19th-century piggery and barn into music studios. The application for the six adjoining barns specifies their use as storage or archive space for the owner and family only, with no additional vehicles or equipment planned.
Plans to link the barns directly to the main farmhouse have been dropped, but Sheeran has committed to repairing the buildings, replacing windows and doors, and preserving as much of the original fabric as possible. The council's ecology team has requested the inclusion of bat and bird boxes, bee bricks, and hedgehog-friendly fencing to support local wildlife. The highways department has approved the plans, contingent on a construction management plan and ensuring public rights of way are not obstructed.
Renovation work on other outbuildings previously approved for conversion into music studios has been slow, partly due to the presence of protected Great Crested Newts, requiring special measures and a license. Sheeran has also committed to creating a flowering lawn with 19 species of flowers and 12 fruit trees.