Renowned Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett has been compelled to revise her plans for a picturesque garden at her £1.6 million eco-friendly home in Cornwall, due to concerns raised about the potential impact on local bat populations.
The Oscar-winning star, aged 56, had envisioned an elaborate transformation of the area surrounding her cliffside residence in Mawgan Porth. Her plans included the introduction of native flora, trees, stone features, and a grass driveway.
In 2022, Blanchett and her husband, playwright Andrew Upton, received approval to demolish a £1.6 million cottage and build a five-bedroom eco-home in the area affectionately known as ‘Hollywood on Sea.’
Recently, the couple sought to address several stipulations tied to their planning approval, particularly concerning lighting, landscaping, and the installation of shutters.
The updated proposal included a variety of lighting options: eight path lights mounted on poles, three spike lights positioned under trees, three low-level step lights, and four wall-mounted lights.
However, an ecologist consulted for the project highlighted that three of the four proposed lighting solutions did not adhere to the guidelines set forth in the planning conditions. This expert feedback prompted a reevaluation of the initial plans to ensure they align with environmental standards.
The condition wording of the original application given permission in 2022 stated: ‘Prior to the use of the dwelling hereby approved, a lighting plan as set out in the submitted ecological report to comply with Bat Conservation trust Guidance Note shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.’
The previous report recommended outside lighting was ‘minimised where possible.’
Hollywood star Cate Blanchett’s ambitious project began four years ago when they snapped up a £1.6 million coastal property with plans to level it. By 2022, they had the green light to replace the original cottage with a high-tech, five-bedroom ‘green’ home in Cornwall’s increasingly glamorous celebrity hotspot
It added: ‘Where lighting is required for safety or security reasons, it is recommended these are low level, capped to direct light downwards and placed on short timers.
‘Metal halide, fluorescent sources must not be used. LED luminaires to be used where possible due to their sharp cut-off, lower intensity, good colour rendition and dimming capability.
‘A warm white spectrum will be adopted to reduce blue light component. These would conform with Bat Conservation Trust recommendations for lighting.’
According to the Cornwall planning portal the planning application has now been withdrawn.
It states: ‘Confirmation of Withdrawn Application.
‘Submission of details to discharge Condition numbers 3 (Landscaping), 6 (Lighting) and 7 (Shutters) in respect of Decision Notice PA21/12699
‘Cornwall Council, hereby confirms that the above mentioned application has been withdrawn.’
The preliminary appraisal of the building in November 2020 had assessed the building to have some suitability for crevice roosting bats.
A further survey carried out in May 2021, in the main active season for bats, did not reveal any bat emergence from the building or any evidence of bats within the attic space. There were also deemed to be ‘no active bat roosts’ in the building that would be impacted by demolition.
But the report added: ‘As bats were found to forage across the whole area, recommendations are made for a low lighting regime as well as proposals for ecological enhancement of the development.’
Previous planning bids have drawn the ire of neighbors, who argue the development has ‘ruined’ the area’s charm and contributed to a surge in housing costs that is pricing locals out of the market
The couple submitted the latest plans to Cornwall Council on January 20.
They also included the ‘mass planting’ of olearia bushes, sea thrift, ornamental grasses like Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, and the ‘scattering of Cornish boulders’.
The rest of the proposals included installing hardwood decking next to the house, a grass driveway with concrete stabilisation from Greenstones pavers, as well as corten and cornish granite steps leading up to the large property.
The pair hoped to have trailing Muehlenbeckia, a deciduous shrub which can be grown as a climber or ground cover, to create ‘an evergreen curtain draping along the bank’, and place ornamental trees (Phillyrea latifolia) next to the vehicle access site.
They have also proposed a boundary hedge of new Olearia Traversii, climbers to grow over balustrading (Lonicera alseuosmoides) and Oliaria Traversii to plant along their front room roof.
Previous applications regarding the construction of their property have angered locals, who complained their picturesque area had been ‘ruined’ and turned into a ‘building site’ with prices being hiked to ‘unaffordable’ levels.
One holiday home owner accused her of having a ‘total disregard’ for neighbours with the renovations.
Karen Burgess, who owns a nearby holiday let, alleged that ‘noise’ from the construction has ‘destroyed’ the holidays of her guests across the past year.
She claimed to have lost £60,000 in rental revenue due to the construction.
Their arrival led to an influx of celebrities visiting the seaside village, such as David Beckham, Kate Winslet, Noel Gallagher, Jason Statham and Jamie Dornan.
