James Corden set to knock down his old mansion and build THIS new one
Can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs! James Corden finally gets permission to knock down his abandoned country mansion and build a new one for when he returns from the US
- James Corden’s new home comes ahead of the TV personality’s return to the UK
- The plans come after he and his wife Julia Carey were spotted on a stroll in LA
James Corden is set to tear down his £8 million country pad – and build a brand new luxury home as he prepares to return to the UK.
The star’s 1960s pile near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire – which includes a Grade II listed Druid’s Temple and swimming pool – had fallen into disrepair after standing empty for two years while he hosted the Late Late Show in the US.
But the TV personality has been awarded planning permission to demolish the existing property and constructing a stunning, six-bedroom mansion.
The works – which will also include tearing down a pool house – will create a two-storey pad alongside a subterranean basement with a plant room and storage.
Preparing to jet back home: James Corden will be returning to the UK after announcing he will be leaving his role as the host of the Late Late Show in the US
And to ready himself for his journey back to Britain, the TV personality has applied to knock down his abandoned home near Henley-on-Thames (pictured) and replace it with a new luxury mansion
It will be ‘grander’ than the current home, with planners saying it will be 18 per cent larger overall, while the basement level will see an 11 per cent boom in footprint.
The new gardens will take inspiration from 18th and 19th historic houses, with a sweeping Victorian-esque lawn and a walled garden for growing vegetables, fruit and cut flowers.
But the 44-year-old Gavin and Stacey star will be frustrated that he had to abandon his plans for a huge pool house, complete with two pools, a yoga studio and massage room, to get it past the planning officials.
Wokingham Borough Council said: ‘The principle of the development is supported as a replacement dwelling is not inappropriate development in the Green Belt, subject to consideration of openness.
Morning stroll: James Corden and his wife Julia Carey wore matching jackets as they stepped out for a walk in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning
The stunning new property, approved by council chiefs earlier this month, will be larger than Corden’s current home on the site
Plans for the ground floor shows Corden’s new pile will have plenty of space, with a formal dining room, living room, kitchen and grand courtyard
‘Revisions to the scheme have resolved initial objections from Historic England and the Council’s Conservation Officer.
‘There is an outstanding objection from the Gardens Trust and the Council’s Trees and Landscape Officer.
‘No resident objections have been received and the proposal is recommended for approval, subject to conditions relating to ecology and landscaping conditions
‘Following discussions with the applicant’s agent in relation to unresolved tree impacts, the application no longer includes a pool house, outdoor swimming pool or a refuse store at the main entrance to the site.’
The ground floor will have an entrance hallway opening off a large internal courtyard, a kitchen, living room, dining room and breakfast room leading onto a large terrace area with a playroom, two study areas, three bathrooms and a boot room.
The first floor will have five en-suite bedrooms – with the luxurious main bedroom having two en-suites and a balcony.
It will also have a cloakroom, a laundry and two internally facing balconies.
Upstairs is completed with five bedrooms, including a huge master bedroom at the rear of the property overlooking the grounds of Corden’s country estate
The new home will be ‘grander’ than the one currently at the site, featuring a larger basement area, planners say
A new pool will be constructed with Corden keeping the tennis court that already features on the grounds of his plush country pad
To complete his plans, Corden will also have to remove the existing driveway and extensive landscaping – which will create a partially-walled garden and retain the property’s tennis courts.
The Hollywood star has also had to be careful that views from the Druid’s Temple are unharmed.
The Grade II-listed stones stand in 43 acres of parkland and consist of a collection of 45 granite stones arranged in a circle.
The structure, which has a French inscription near its entrance, was presented to Field-Marshal the Honourable Henry Seymour Conway by the inhabitants of Jersey when he was the island’s governor.
The surrounding grassland has ‘an exceptional population of slow worm’ alongside small populations of grass snakes, experts say.
There are also badgers and breeding birds, including red kites.
But the plans have raised protest from the council’s trees officer, who slammed the pile as ‘unsympathetic and incongruous’ with the local area.
They said: ‘The use of materials does not reflect the local vernacular of the area.
‘The proportions of the structure in relation to the windows and roof form does not reference classical characteristics of large country houses as found in this borough and large wooden balconies such as proposed are also not features commonly found.
And the proposal will create new landscaped areas for Corden and his young family to enjoy
The grounds is packed with history. Pictured is the original country house that was once there, in 1907
And the site is also home to a Grade II-listed druid temple (pictured)
The current home on the grounds, in its unique horseshoe design, was built in the 1960s but has fallen into disrepair
‘Overall, I consider the design and form of the proposed dwelling to be unsympathetic and incongruous and will detract from the character and quality of the RPG, Green Belt designation and wider landscape character.’
Amendments have been made to make the window proportions more consistent and ensure the wings are more comfortably tied into the eaves of the main house.
The architect has also explained that the building is similar to other buildings on the estate, with traditional Franco-Italian and more contemporary examples.
Corden also wanted to demolish a series of other outbuildings, creating a two-storey pool building with a basement of its own and a new bin collection building.
The ground floor would have had an 11.5 metre indoor pool, a yoga studio, a gym, bathroom and terrace opening onto another 20 metre outdoor pool.
Corden and his family could also have chilled out in the yoga studio and gym, with the first floor including a lounge area, massage room, steam room and sauna opening up onto a terrace area.
But these extravagant plans have been shelved to allow the application to go to the planning committee.
However it is possible that these will arise again in the future.
Corden has not said where he will be living when he returns home from the US, but it seems likely this new pad would be an ideal home for his wife Julia and two children, Max, 11, and Charlotte, five.
Corden will be leaving The Late Late Show in mid-2023 after announcing the bombshell earlier in 2022
Following his eight-year stint overseas, this property is only a short distance from his childhood home near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
He recently gushed that his upcoming move back ‘feels absolutely right in every way.’
The 1960s property has a unique curved design, but has been left boarded up while his huge indoor pool stands empty and the luxury retro interior is covered in dust and grime.
It has a 1,640ft drive which winds to the property, which holds extensive views across the Berkshire and Oxfordshire countryside.
The original country house was erected in 1869 and used as a boarding school from 1948 until its demolition and replacement with the current building in 1961.
The property was extended in 1972 and 1973 with an enclosed pool house.
The electricity in the four-bedroom house is said to only work in some parts, while the patio is thick with weeds.
Its gates are plastered with warning signs.
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