Latest news with #gates
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A gate too far! Couple who lost bitter war against neighbours over Bond-villain mansion finally remove illegal barrier after failing in their attempt to create a new access route
A couple who defied a council enforcement order to remove a £10,000 set of gates stopping locals accessing a beauty spot they've enjoyed for generations have had to tear them down in a humiliating defeat. Instead of immediately complying with their enforcement notice, Adam and Laura Drew spent a fortune building two new paths a few metres further away from their £500,000 home nicknamed the James Bond House. The Drews hoped the new entrances to the forestry paradise would allow them to keep the 8ft-high gates and retain their privacy. But council chiefs warned the couple to take them down this weekend - or else. Today to the delight of locals the 'gates of hell' were finally removed. Walkers, cyclists and horse riders said they had used the path next to the sprawling 11-bedroomed property for as long as anyone can remember. It leads to Cwmparc Forestry, a haven for wildlife and a place of natural beauty where some locals had their ashes scattered. But a year ago the Drews bought the ugly grey house and began complaining of anti-social behaviour by people accessing the mountain. Chartered accountant Mr Drew and his slimming consultant wife Laura, both 40, claimed they were subjected to illegal parking, dangerous driving, out-of-control dogs, people urinating, dog-fouling, aggression, theft, drugs, and people with air rifles. They said the last straw came when torches were shone into bedrooms where their three children were sleeping. In a statement the wealthy couple said: 'A decision was made that we needed to put security gates at our home to keep our children safe.' Residents of Cwmparc, near the historic Welsh Valleys coal mining town of Treorchy, disputed the couple's claims and launched the 'No to the Gates' campaign, staging peaceful protests and getting up a 4,000 signature petition. After an investigation, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council gave the Drews 30 days to take the gates down saying highway rights exist because the path has been in public use for over 20 years. Locals looked forward to seeing them dismantled and taken away but last Sunday(June 8) the deadline passed and the gates were still standing. It appears the Drews believed they had solved the problem by building a road on their land for fire service and other official bodies to access the mountain and a narrower path for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Tons of chippings were laid, steel fences erected and 50-year-old conifers felled to make way for the two unofficial thoroughfares. But campaigners want the original right of way opened up because the new road and path are not legal highways. Richard Clarke, 57, a local businessman, said: 'We've kept this campaign as clean as we possibly can, in fact we've protected these people (Mr and Mrs Drew) by stopping some of the remarks about them posted on social media. 'I sincerely hope they do the right thing and return to us what we started off with - a legal right of way to Cwmparc forestry.' The council agreed and gave the Drews until midnight on Sunday to pull down the gates or they would send in their own contractors. Council leader Andrew Morgan said: 'Following the expiry of the notice served on the homeowners, Council officers are not satisfied with the current access arrangements which do not provide the public with unfettered access. 'The current unapproved arrangements do not fulfil the legal order for the gates to be removed. 'As a result, the Council requires the homeowners to remove the gates with their specialist contractors and we expect this to be done over the weekend. 'If the gates are not removed then the Council will dispatch contractors to remove them.' Mr Morgan said diversions and changes to the highway must follow the correct legal process and rest with local magistrates. He added: 'This remains a delicate situation and we ask that the community act responsibly. The Council is committed to seeing this through.' This week, the quiet road has been thronging with furious villagers arriving to inspect the damage caused by the installation of the new road and pathway Nature lover Rhiannon Evans, 49, who used to walk the mountain tracks with her three-legged dog Belle said: 'They've chopped down at least six large conifers where magpies were nesting. There are bats roosting up there too. 'They have no planning permission for what they've done and have shown utter contempt for the law and the villagers who have enjoyed the forestry for years.' Retired probation office manager Irene Price, 77, told Mail Online: 'I'm outraged by what's been going on since these people moved here. 'If you buy a house next to forestry you can expect people to walk past. The walk up the mountain was one of my favourite things in the village. What they've done is a disgrace.'
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Geri Halliwell launches SECOND bid to install plush gates at Grade II listed mansion - after previous plans were slammed for being 'too tall'
Geri Halliwell has launched a second bid to install plush gates at her Grade II listed mansion - after previous plans were rejected for being 'too tall'. The Spice Girl, 52, and her F1 Red Bull boss husband Christian Horner, 51, wanted to shift their current boundary back from the road and install stone posts on either side, replacing the current timber set-up. But planners rejected their plans as the 10ft tall proposals were 3ft higher than the current gate. Now the couple have re-applied to replace their gates - but this time limited the height of the gate to two meters. Geri and Christian have again proposed oak gates hung from cut stone piers, complete with finials. The finials appear to be more understated than the previous design - which showed them as huge globes above the posts. The posts without the finials are proposed to be the same height as the existing barriers, and will be built in alongside cut stone walling in a recessed gateway. The access road will be replaces with a rubble strip laid under the new gates. The planning application states: 'The new gates are being replaced on agricultural land, which remains designated as agricultural. Since the gates are not being introduced for the first time but are merely a replacement of the existing gates, this is not considered a change of use or a new development. Designs show they are looking to install stone posts on either side of the driveway, replacing the current timber set-up The finials appear to be more understated than the previous design - which showed them as huge globes above the posts. Pictured: The original gates (left) and the first proposed gates (right) 'The gates continue to serve the same purpose, providing access to the agricultural land. As such, the replacement of the gates falls under the category of replacement of a private way (Part 6 - Class B (d)), which is typically permitted under existing agricultural land use. 'Therefore, the replacement gates are lawful and do not alter the existing lawful use of the land. 'Aside from the piers, which match in height with the existing timber piers, all other elements are 2000mm in height or less. The proposal therefore complies with permitted development allowances.' The high-flying pair said the move at their 18th century Northamptonshire pad was to provide a 'waiting bay' in the recessed entry for agricultural land - which they hoped would have helped with safety for larger agricultural and equestrian vehicles. The blueprints for the new design showed the couple wanted to replace the current wooden gate posts with cut stone piers, complete with iron finials. The wall leading to the gates were planned to be cut ironstone and the gates made of oak. Refusing the new gate, the council planning officer previously said: 'The height of the proposed development reaches 3.1m, which exceeds the height of the existing gate which sits at 2.3m. 'The proposed gate fails to comply with criteria of Class A of Part 2 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning Order 2015 owing to the height of the proposed gate exceeding the former height, and therefore a certificate of lawfulness should not be issued.' It comes after the Horners sparked fury among their rural community when they embarked on a planning war to replace their 18th century kitchen garden with an open-air swimming pool. Previous recent requests to their local council have included demolition and replacement of a glasshouse, the building of a new barn, and a first floor extension to their home's west wing. Plans for the pool caused a particular stir due to its proximity to the local graveyard - with some neighbours saying they worried funerals could be interrupted by 'screaming, shouting and splashing'. It came just ten years after Christian applied to build a different swimming pool in a barn across the road from their luxury pad. He confirmed that it had been built in an interview with Luxury London in 2019, where he said he was trying to get it ready in time for the British Grand Prix. The mansion already has five bedrooms, with one each for the couple and the three children they have between them, as well as a spare bedroom. It also has an indoor pool inside a barn and a fully-equipped gym. But they also wanted to look at access routes to their home and decided to add new gates and a recessed entrance to an opening to their agricultural land, making it safer for large vehicles to wait while the gates are opened. In May 2023 the couple had their first horse-racing win, with a steed named after the Spice Girls' 1999 No 1 single - Two Become Won. And over the last year they have gone from success to success - Lift Me Up, again named after one of the pop star's songs, galloped on resolutely to pocket the £2,053.20 prize at the Hunters' Chase in January.
