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.
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