Cate Blanchett halts parking plans at £1.6m Cornwall home amid row with neighbours
Cate Blanchett is building a five-bedroom house on a site, seen surrounded by orange scaffolding, near the beach in Mawgan Porth - Getty Images; Greg Martin/CornwallLive
Cate Blanchett has abandoned some of the controversial renovation plans for her Cornwall seaside eco-home after sparking a row with her neighbours.
The actress and her husband, Andrew Upton, bought a cottage in Mawgan Porth for £1.6 million four years ago and are turning the original structure into a five-bedroom house.
In 2021 they purchased an adjoining field which they planned to turn into a driveway and car parking for her home, angering residents who accused them of showing “blatant disregard” for the local area.
Now the 55-year-old actress has backtracked on building the car parking area, formally withdrawing the plans in a letter to Cornwall Council.
Although she provided no reason for the withdrawal, it follows a row with her neighbours in Mawgan Porth, which has been described by some as Hollywood-on-Sea for its unspoilt beach and multi-million-pound homes hosting actors including Jason Statham and Stanley Tucci.
In 2021 the actress and her husband bought an adjoining field which they planned to turn into a driveway and car parking for the home
Karen Burgess, a local holiday let owner, claimed that the project had cost her £60,000 in lost revenue owing to noise and demanded that officials “severely restrict” the days that any further works could take place.
“I am deeply concerned that there has already been a total disregard for the noise that has destroyed the family holidays of all my guests throughout 2023,” she said.
“The losses are more than £60,000 last year and still we are having to advertise as a property affected by building noise.
“We thought [Blanchett’s property] work was finally over and now there is a new application for groundworks. This work should not be permitted during the holiday season.”
She said that locals in the bay had never witnessed “such a blatant disregard” for the tourists who visit the area for holidays and bring vital business for many holiday lets and hotels.
Neighbours have complained about the noise from the building site - Daniel Dayment/SWNS
A computer-generated image of what Blanchett's new house will look like once completed - CornwallLive/BPM
Helen John, another neighbour, told councillors: “This current application is a blatant attempt to erode an environmentally important piece of land by stealth and incorporate it.
“It is one thing to allow temporary access and quite another to allow this to become a permanent scar on the landscape.
“This application should be rejected, the importance of green spaces emphasised and the land restored to its original condition once building is complete.”
Situ8, which is acting on behalf of Blanchett and her husband, described the loss of green space as “minimal” and said its client intended to maintain around 86 per cent of the rest of the meadow.
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