by Cate Blanchett has been accused of “complete disregard” during the construction of her eco-home in Cornwall – which ‘ruined a holiday’ and cost a neighbor £60k.
The Lord of the Rings star, 54, and her playwright husband Andrew Upton, 57, bought the £1.6 million cottage in Mawgan Porth four years ago and the original structure has since been demolished to replace it with a five-bedroom eco-home.
But the ongoing renovations have angered its neighbors with noise said to have made life hell for residents – and turning away visitors from the popular tourist beauty spot.
And in the latest spate of complaints following a fresh ‘groundworks’ application to allow parking on an existing green meadow – one neighbor accused the Hollywood star of ‘ruining’ visitors’ holidays – and that it cost them £60k. lost income.
Local resident Sophie said The Independent that it was “really noisy” due to the building works and said pedestrian access to a lane leading down to the beach was blocked.
“It’s very noisy with a lot of drilling and banality,” she said. Referring to more building works taking place at developments next door, she said: “It’s a building site for the rich and famous.”
Hollywood stars Jason Statham and Jason Momoa are among the many celebrities rumored to be snapping up land and property in the area.
Vacation rental owner Karen Burgess also accused the celebrity couple of “complete disregard” for their neighbors during the lengthy construction process.
Ms Burgess said: “I am deeply concerned that the noise which has ruined all my guests’ family holidays during 2023 has already been completely ignored.
“The losses are over £60,000 last year and we still have to advertise as a property affected by building noise. We thought [Blanchett’s property] the work was finished and now there is a new request for earthworks. This work should NOT be allowed during the holiday season.
“We have never felt in the bay such a clear disregard for the people who come here for their holidays and enjoy the area during the holiday season. We pay business rates.
“My property is one of many resort and hotel properties in the bay. I expect the council will severely restrict the days this work can be carried out, if it is ever approved.”
Cornwall Council granted planning permission for the house to be built in September 2022, but a further application was submitted by Situ8, acting on behalf of the owners, in November last year.
They have now applied to make changes to an additional piece of land the couple bought in 2021, prompting another angry reaction.
The couple want to develop a small portion of that land to provide a new entrance to their new home with parking.
Hitting back at the latest objections from the neighbour, Watershedd, the architect behind the build, claimed it was a case of mistaken identity and the noise was coming from another property – despite Blanchett’s house being the closest to them.
They said: “She cannot be referring to our client’s property when there were no noise works during the peak holiday period last year. Once again, our client’s property has been damaged due to other works taking place in Mawgan Porth.
“Throughout the entire building process on our client’s property, we were in regular communication with friendly neighbors and accommodation to ensure they were aware of the works that had commenced, and to alleviate any concerns about the normal noise or disturbance of the construction.
“Our contractor is always available to speak to people in the local community when they may have questions about the building process.”
Another neighbor, Helen John Helen, accused the celebrity couple of an “obvious” plot to buy additional land.
She wrote: “This current application is a blatant attempt to stealthily erode and incorporate an environmentally important piece of land.
“It’s one thing to allow temporary access and another to allow this to be a permanent scar on the landscape. This application should be refused, emphasizing the importance of green spaces and restoring the land to its original condition once construction is complete.”
Situ8 responded and described the loss of green space as “minimal” and said his client plans to maintain the rest of the meadow – about 86 percent of it.
They said the new access was also “crucial to the property”.
They said: “The proposed car park would be located on the edge of the site and would not encroach on the open meadow area.
“The proposals do not affect the upland of the meadow in any way, and only the highest areas of the meadow are visible from other properties and public roads – not the flat area of the proposals.”
Blanchett was also recently given permission to build 90 solar panels to power her £5m mansion in East Sussex.
The couple wanted to install a series of solar panels and expand the plant room on the 13-acre grounds of Highwell House, which they call ‘hain’.
Blanchett bought the house in 2015 after it had been derelict for more than a decade after being home to Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Who actor Tom Baker.
It has since been extensively renovated. Her plans to build an outdoor pool were approved in March last year and in 2021 she was also given permission to build a home office/studio and gallery in the garden.
Cornwall Council will rule on the latest application at a later date.
