Bend the rules like Beckham! Giant treehouse irks neighbours
AS one of the most powerful celebrity couples in the world, they must be used to getting their own way.
But there are some rules even David and Victoria Beckham can’t break – not least the regulations surrounding treehouses.
After coming under fire from neighbours near their farmhouse for erecting a 13ft-high treehouse without planning consent, they have now been given permission – so long as they turn off its lights at 4pm.
On December 12, the couple put in an application to build a ‘modest tree house’ at the £6million Cotswolds farmhouse.
Days later 43-year-old Mrs Beckham shared a picture of it on Instagram lit up with fairy lights with the caption: ‘Kisses from the country X’.
The following day, neighbour David Holland wrote to the authorities to slam the council’s planning procedure.
Claiming the treehouse was built on December 4, he said: ‘It makes a mockery of the planning procedure.’
He added: ‘Normal folk would be made to take this down and apply for permission using the proper procedure.’ Yesterday, however, West Oxfordshire District Council granted permission for the 50 sq ft timber treehouse – as long as the lights were turned off at 4pm so as not to impact the ‘rural character and appearance’ of the area.
The application said the treehouse was ‘intended for use by the owners’ children as a play area’. A source at the council said that former footballer Beckham, 42, had previously played by the rules while developing three Grade-II listed barns near Chipping Norton, which the couple bought in 2016. The Beckhams, who also have homes in west London and Los Angeles, have spent an estimated £1.8million turning the property into a six-bed home.