Actor Jason Statham is reportedly facing a challenge from local planning officials regarding a summerhouse at his £20 million beachfront mansion in the south of England. Statham purchased the six-bedroom property, which includes a private beach, boating lake, wild swimming pond, yoga studio, and a large treehouse, in 2024. The estate currently features a three-bedroom summerhouse with a kitchen, dining room, and lounge, which has been used as guest accommodation.
However, planning permission for the existing structure was originally granted for a swimming pool pavilion without residential facilities. Statham applied for a certificate of lawful development for the summerhouse, asserting its use as ancillary residential accommodation for over ten years, providing evidence from previous owners. Despite this, a planning officer noted that while the use might be demonstrable as lawful due to its duration, it would still be considered unauthorized. The officer further stated that even a lawful development certificate for ancillary accommodation would be unlikely to justify replacing it with a new building without overriding justification, as it would contravene local policies.
A decision on Statham's application is anticipated later this month.
In other celebrity news, Lady Eliza Spencer, niece of Earl Spencer, is preparing for her upcoming wedding to tech executive Channing Millerd. Lady Eliza, 34, shared a photograph on social media from Palazzo Avino, a luxury hotel on the Amalfi coast, indicating it as a potential wedding venue. She was pictured in a swimsuit with the words 'Future Mrs M' emblazoned on the back, and noted that wedding venue hunting had begun.
This search comes as the couple, who have yet to select a venue, consider the Italian hotel for their ceremony. Lady Eliza's father, Earl Spencer, did not attend the weddings of her sisters, Lady Kitty in 2021 and Lady Amelia in 2023.
Elsewhere, singer and actress Suki Waterhouse, 34, admitted to continuing her vaping habit even during training sessions, much to the surprise of her professional athlete trainer. Waterhouse, who is engaged to actor Robert Pattinson and has a two-year-old daughter, expressed her commitment to fitness but acknowledged her struggle to quit vaping. She stated that she dislikes the feeling of not having worked out for several days and feels her muscles are less strong and her running ability is compromised.
Meanwhile, DJ Chris Evans, 60, has co-founded a new firm called Marlow Car Club, an exhibition and fair organizers' business, with friends and local residents, chef Tom Kerridge and entrepreneur Peter Jones. Evans, known for creating CarFest, which benefits children's charities, shares a passion for automobiles with Jones, a classic car collector, and Kerridge, who has recently begun car racing.