David and Victoria Beckham have won planning permission to install Blackpool-style illuminations around a lake at their £6.15 million Cotswolds home despite objections from a critic living in Australia.
West Oxfordshire District Council approved the latest planning application for the couple's Grade II-listed home in Great Tew, granting permission for the lights, a hot tub on the shore, and a firepit on the lake's island.
The decision also permits the Beckhams to use non-motorised boats on the stretch of water, which their planners referred to as a pond. The kidney-shaped lake measures 4,170 square metres, while the central island covers 122 square metres.
David Beckham, the former England football captain, and his wife Victoria, a fashion designer and former Spice Girl, bought the Oxfordshire estate for £6.15 million in 2016. The Cotswolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in south-central England known for its historic stone villages and sprawling rural properties.
Objections from resident in Australia
The application faced persistent opposition from James Worthington, who submitted multiple objection letters to West Oxfordshire District Council in 2023 and 2026. Although he presented himself as a concerned local villager, Mr Worthington admitted in one filing that he had been working away from the UK since 2019, providing an address in Perth, Western Australia, roughly 9,000 miles away.
In his objection letters, Mr Worthington accused the couple of damaging the rural character of Great Tew and turning the area into suburbia, Miami or Florida. He wrote: "Yet what is proposed is more akin to Miami or Florida not Great Tew."
He added: "If I am not amiss, this pond 'lake' is in the countryside in a rural setting. Festooned lighting hanging along a 'proposed bridge'... spotlights, is this really Great Tew or have I mistaken this area for Blackpool? If the applicants want to live in suburbia, then why come to an area like Great Tew?"
Commenting last week on the hot tub, which was installed along with the firepit without prior planning permission, Mr Worthington noted: "Hot tub appears on the new layout plan. Maybe this is a new toy for the wildlife to have a soak after a long day trying to find food?"
Mr Worthington also criticised the couple for drip-feeding planning applications rather than presenting a comprehensive long-term vision. In November, the Beckhams were accused of abusing the planning system after submitting at least 30 planning applications for the property over the past decade.
Ecology approval and council conditions
Despite Mr Worthington's claims that the lights would cause a source of annoyance to people and prove harmful to wildlife, planning officer Nathan Harris approved the revised landscaping and lighting plans with minor conditions.
The council imposed a ban on motorised boats and recommended that the couple avoid using the firepit during the bird nesting season, which runs from March to August. The council's ecology team approved the extensive lighting around the lake after spotlights pointing at trees were removed.
In a letter, the ecology team noted: "I would question the need for the spotlights at either end of the boardwalk across to the island, as there are also downlighters on posts, but I don't necessarily have a major issue with these, now that the spotlights lighting up the trees have been removed."
In his final report, Mr Harris concluded: "Given the rural location of the site and the nature of the amendments proposed, officers do not consider that the revised landscaping or lighting details would result in any material adverse impacts on the amenity of neighbouring occupiers. The submitted lighting scheme has been specifically designed to minimise light spill and ecological impact, and no objections have been raised by the Council's Ecologist following submission of the amended plans."
Previous planning battles at the estate
The approval is the latest planning victory for the couple at their Cotswolds home. Earlier this year, the Beckhams won a separate dispute regarding a new driveway, allowing them to avoid sharing access routes with visitors travelling to nearby Soho Farmhouse, an exclusive members-only club and hotel.
Representatives for the Beckhams have been contacted for comment.
