Latest news with #MawganPorth
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Don't look up! Inside Cate Blanchett's never ending Cornwall saga after neighbour gets planning permission for TWO new mansions next door
Building works on Cate Blanchett 's California-style mansion on the Cornish coast have sparked years of commentary and criticism from locals. But as new pictures show the two-year-long construction of the actress's five-bed eco-home is nearing completion, MailOnline can reveal her neighbour has secured planning permission to build two luxury homes right next door. They have also put the site up for sale for £2.3million. Cornwall Council has given the go-ahead for the existing property on the site in Mawgan Porth to be demolished and replaced with two four-bedroom homes. This was despite the local authority concluding it was in a 'sensitive location due to its proximity to the coastline and its elevated position which means it can be seen from various vantage points in Mawgan Porth'. The ultra-modern homes boast luxuries including a private sauna and spa, ensuite bedrooms, games areas and wrap around balconies offering stunning sea views. They also boast environmental credentials with eco friendly green roofs, solar panels, ground or air source heat pumps and locally sourced stone and timber. The application attracted one local objection from a resident who commented: 'These are two sizeable four bedroomed houses. 'One must assume therefore that each will accommodate the equivalent of four couples i.e. eight cars will need to be parked on that land. 'The plans, as shown, do not demonstrate this level of parking and, in reality, the landscaping will be given over to car-parking. 'The site is a very prominent one, sloping as it does towards the village. If two houses on this scale are allowed, the plot will resemble a carpark and the outlook of the village will be worse as a result.' Applicants Chris and Fiona Heritage had previously tried to replace the bungalow with a home double its size but councillors voted down the 2019 application. Ms Blanchett, 56, and her husband, playwright Andrew Upton, 59, did not comment on the application. The Lord of the Rings actress and Mr Upton bought and demolished a cottage in the village in 2020 to make way for their luxury eco-home. Their arrival led to an influx of celebrities visiting the village located a few miles along the coast from Newquay. Stars including David Beckham, Kate Winslet, Noel Gallagher, Jason Statham and Jamie Dornan have been spotted in the village in recent years. While movie actors Imogen Stubbs, Jason Momoa, Stanley Tucci and Rosie Huntingdon-Whitely have all been linked with the area. But building works quickly led to rocky relations with locals who complained their picturesque area had been 'ruined' and turned into a 'building site' with prices being hiked to 'unaffordable levels. Cate later applied to turn an additional plot of land into a driveway and parking for the home, leading to accusations of a 'blatant land grab'. And a 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. Ms Burgess said she is still having to advertise her holiday home as being impacted by construction noise, but architect firm Watershedd insisted the noise is coming from another development. The company told Cornwall Live: 'She cannot be referring to our clients' property where there were no noisy works during the peak holiday period last year, once again, our clients' property has been mistaken for other works going on in Mawgan Porth.' However, locals previously told MailOnline the demand for a chance to rub shoulders with celebrities had got so out of hand her mother has had people walk by her house and offer £2 million for it. NHS worker Kim Emmett, who has lived in the village since 1987, said: 'It has always been a popular holiday destination as it's between Newquay and Padstow and near a National Trust hotspot. 'It's become more and more popular every year. The locals have sold up here and the properties have been taken down and there's modern complex, cube-shaped, Californian-style buildings instead of your 1930s bungalows. Residents of the village have become increasingly frustrated by the constant building work 'There's a lot of posh cubed modern buildings. Those properties are now going for over a million. You can't buy a property here for under one million. Not one local can afford to buy anything here.' Another upshot of the vast expanse of second homes is that in winter Mawgan Porth becomes a ghost town. A local said this week: 'I've barely seen another soul walking around, it would be spooky if we weren't so used to it. 'In summer you can barely move for people, it does bring the year-rounders closer together and there's a nice little community and we support local businesses as much as we can but having such a stark difference is not ideal.' Former military medic Emma Keelan, 45, who now works as a dog walker lived in Mawgan Porth for almost 20 years but was forced out of the village and into temporary accommodation during Covid when her landlord decided to turn the rental property into a holiday let. She said: 'It's unbelievable how all these celebrities and wealthy people behave. How much is enough? They've bought the houses for crazy amounts of money but they just want more and more. 'If they get permission for this what next? Normal people already can't afford to live here any more, look how it is in the winter, it's a ghost town. 'When I first moved here in 2002 there was livestock grazing the fields on that clifftop, now there's just big houses that are empty for most of the year. 'I'm sorry but I get so emotional about this.' Another resident who has lived in Mawgan Porth for 18 years but didn't want to be named said: 'The whole situation with that road is a mess. It's the lorries coming up and down, it's a never ending building site. 'It's pretty grim to be honest. In the time I've been here it's changed 100%. It's not on really, especially when she doesn't live here year round. 'None of them live here full-time but it's a non-stop building site, it's not really fair to the people that do. 'Cate does support the community, her and her family go to the surf school and they're actually really sound people. 'But how much more do you need? She got permission for what she got but now wants more.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Our quiet seaside village is being wrecked by celebrities and second home owners who buy our humble properties for stupid prices and turn them into monstrous retreats - we fear we're being priced out of our own homes
Families living in a Cornish village fear they will be priced out by Hollywood A-listers as more movie stars convert properties into holiday botholes. Cate Blanchett and Jason Statham are among those who have homes in Mawgan Porth, a peaceful former fishing village. The surfing spot has become a destination for the wealthy, who are increasingly converting bungalows into second homes and building mansions up the side of the hill. And while some business owners embrace the newcomers, not all locals are happy with the changing face of the quaint town. The Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings actress was believed to have been the first celebrity to buy a property in the village. Imogen Stubbs, Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Hollywood actor and foodie Stanley Tucci are also reported to have bought properties there. Locals say the influx of A-list celebrities has 'ruined' the picturesque village and turned it into a 'building site' - with prices being hiked to 'unaffordable levels. John Bradley, a retired builder, has lived with his wife Barbara, 77, in the town for 19 years. He said: 'If you look across the road, five of the seven bungalows are holiday homes and do you think we're happy with that? 'People lived in one for 30 years and moved out of the country. This guy bought it and as soon as he comes in he wants to take the roof off and put another roof on it. I gave him my views straight away. 'There's a place down the road which is rented out for £7,500. It's just ridiculous. It's not even in keeping.' The stretch of properties along the seafront in Mawgan Porth features a series of multi-million pound developments that have attracted the rich and famous. At the heart of the cliff-top scene is a five-bed eco-home being built by the Oscar-winning Blanchett after she got planning permission to knock down the £1.6million cottage she bought with her playwright husband Andrew Upton. Pictures also show other 'Californian' style mansions that have taken over the landscape of traditional homes in what was once called 'Cornwall's best kept secret' that lies between Padstow and Newquay. Some have claimed the village has been 'overrun' with second homeowners and is left like a ghost town in winter. John, 81, has run a bed-and-breakfast in his house for several years but says he is against AirBnBs as they do not have to comply with as many regulations. He feared that the renovations set precedents for other neighbours to do the same to their properties and worried the council did not step in enough. John added: 'The only people benefiting from these second homes are the builders and gardeners. It keeps certain local people in work so in that way it's good but we have lost the community. 'I understand that when the top end of the earners have money, the most sensible place to put it is in accommodation. 'There's no doubt about it, it's safer than anywhere else, and any returns are going to be better than investing anywhere else. 'But it means that places like this become an empty shell and that is very sad. 'I would like to see celebrities contribute more to the community.' One resident said: 'I think locals are being priced out. 'We've got a humble little bungalow but every time someone comes and buys one, they knock it down and build some kind of monstrosity. 'I think it's losing its character because there is a lot of money coming in.' He said it was empty in winter but added: 'I don't mind it too much because I like the quiet.' 'It seems a waste but round here it's been like that. It is very holiday home-ish. 'It seems like they're taking away the character. I know everything has to get modern but that's not what we moved here for.' One of his neighbours had been replaced with an Airbnb and he said the ratio of permanent residents and second homes was about half and half. He said: 'We know lots of people have got to our age and have passed away, the houses have been sold off and they become a holiday home. He said the area's reputation attracted the wealthy which in turn priced out locals. The resident added: 'People are being priced out. I don't particularly blame Cate Blanchett but it's people like that. 'At the bottom of our garden something is being built. There are a lot of people with money.' Debbie, a retired resident said: 'Lived here 20-odd years. It doesn't bother me. There are couples and families living in the posh bit. If we moved our house would become a holiday home.' The 68-year-old said: 'There aren't many bungalows left now but they were all like this. 'There aren't many places to work here for young people to move in and get jobs. 'Jobs are poorly paid so there is no way you can afford a house. It's a lovely place as long as nothing else gets built up.' But Stuart Kirk, the owner of Bettie's general store, said Cate Blanchett's situation was not unique. He said: 'Because she's a celebrity everybody latches onto it. It happens in every village around Cornwall, people buying up homes. 'So many houses have been bought up for stupid money. An old client of ours sold her house for £900,000 and somebody literally just bought it and flattened it and built something else in its place. 'It was just a three-bedroom house. 'It's not specific to this area; it's happening all over Cornwall. 'I grew up in the area. I've owned this shop for 21 years now but when I first bought it in 2003 the houses were too expensive then anyway. 'It's because of the location.' The 53-year-old said: 'I see it as an issue from a business point of view. When I took over there were RAF houses and you would get constant trade coming through the village but now we still see regulars of all ages because there are still people living in the village here but the whole demographic does change. 'Somebody elderly might have a house here but their family might decide not to live here so then that generation and that family's gone. 'But I do think housing prices have topped and are starting to come down now. 'We do have a very strong community here. You can come down here on a winter's evening and see a lot of lights on. 'It's surprising how many people do live up there.' He said the programme Playing Nice starring James Norton had been filmed there which had attracted tourism and interest. He had seen Statham a few times and Stanley Tucci and his family often visited the surf shop to chat with them. 'We are proud', Stuart said. 'It is quite nice to have the reputation. 'I don't think the population will ever phase out. I don't think it will ever end up where the whole village is holiday homes. 'But if they are holiday homes, they're always occupied. If you speak to any holiday home owner around here, they're always booked up. 'There is always somebody here; it's not like it's going to be left empty for three months and we're going to be turned into a ghost town.'
Times
15-05-2025
- Times
Why the A-listers have fallen for Cornwall's ‘Hollywood-on-Sea' — and you will too
It's a magnificent spring morning on the north coast of Cornwall and Pete Abell is pondering Mawgan Porth's rise into the super league of British holiday resorts. 'This is how crazy it's got,' the long, lean surf instructor tells me as he zips into his wetsuit. 'Last year a friend of mine put his house on the market for £1.1 million. Something came up and he had to take it off again, and when it went back on sale six months later, the valuation had doubled. Suddenly it was worth £2.2 million.' 'His house was big, right?' I ask, as I wrestle with my own neoprene and think of Hay House, the new self-catering property (with three acres of garden) that the Newsoms have just checked into nearby. Abell laughs. 'Not really,' he tells me. 'Just wait till you see what's on the beach.' We grab a couple of longboards from the rack at King Surf, the surf school he founded in Mawgan Porth in 1997, then walk across the sandy coast road and towards the sparkling sea. My jaw drops. There, on the leading edge of the village, on the first flat ground above its dunes and cliffs, stands a parade of the most extravagant Cornish holiday homes I've laid eyes on. Even by the standards of this long-established destination they're huge, and they take their cue from the colours of the landscape rather than the brilliant-white walls of the older hotels and second homes above them. The biggest of them is even mimicking the landscape's shape, with a restless mix of undulating roofs and swooping copper details. Built into the hillside, it's the kind of coastal retreat Bilbo Baggins would have commissioned if he'd hit the EuroMillions jackpot and half of Hobbiton was coming to stay. All but one of these houses has appeared since 2020. 'I always thought this place had the potential to take off,' Abell says as we gaze up at Mawgan Porth. It's something of a rarity along this stretch of Cornwall's coast: a village, rather than a town, with its own soft sandy beach. 'We're close to Newquay airport, the scenery is amazing and in summer the sun sets straight into the sea. But I never imagined it taking off like this.' • Read our full guide to Cornwall No wonder the newspapers are calling it Hollywood-on-Sea. That's not just because of the Californian proportions of the properties. The two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is among the newcomers, and rumours swirl about other high-profile owners. Abell laughs when I feed him some of the names, hoping for confirmation. He's met all the owners and surfed with several of them too. But no, despite persistent rumours, Jason Statham, Stanley Tucci and Brooklyn Beckham are not among them. Abell did, however, recently lend a surfboard to Coldplay's Chris Martin and got tickets to Glastonbury by way of thanks. He also taught the TV heart-throb James Norton how to catch waves in the winter of 2023-24 while Norton was filming the ITV drama Playing Nice. Meanwhile, stories abound of the eye-popping prices that existing properties are fetching, before they're knocked down and redeveloped. There's been anger too about the noise and disturbance generated by the building work. But what about holidays? Is Mawgan Porth going to be different now for the rest of us? That's what I'm here to find out and, as Abell and I paddle through the churning waters of its waves, the signs are promising. • 16 of the best affordable hotels in Cornwall under £170 This, I should point out, is an immaculate morning. Beneath a cloudless sky, 4ft walls of water are sweeping into the narrow mouth of the bay with barely a breath of wind to spoil their shape. As they hit the cliffs on either side, the rebounding waves sweep back through the swell lines and jack them up to make taller, steeper peaks. It's a mouthwatering sight — and an intimidating one for someone as unfit as I am. But Abell's boundless enthusiasm gets me out to a point where we can stop paddling and sit on our boards, waiting for the right unbroken wave to catch. Does he give my board a nudge to propel me on to one of these glittering, blue-green walls? Yes, he does. Do I struggle to get upright once I've caught it? Yes, I do, though I am eventually on my feet. Is it a moment that lights up the whole weekend? You bet. It's the firmest, fastest wave I've ridden on this coast. When I come back in, I barely give those Hollywood homes a second glance. I'm too busy rushing to rejoin my family in Hay House. I need to tell them what a rare and precious day this is. If you're looking for signs that Mawgan Porth's transformation is more than skin-deep, this giant five-bedroom property — available to rent through Kip Hideaways — is a good place to start. It's a mile and a half inland, and its nearest neighbour is the long, low-rise Natural Bridges, which stands on stilts above its hillside and starred in Channel 4's Grand Designs in 2018. But this newer house, which has the same owners, is much quieter architecturally and saves all its best features for inside. Among them is the big window in our double-height bedroom that lets my wife, Vera, and me track every passing cloud during our lie-ins. Then there are the undulating floors of reclaimed wood and terracotta tiles. They're a joy to walk on barefoot. • 12 of the best places to visit in Cornwall and where to stay It's also remarkably private, squirrelled away in a valley that seems to capture every ray of available sunshine and hold it there, out of reach of the Atlantic winds. That's something to bear in mind if ever you fancy building your own holiday home hereabouts. On the weather-beaten bluffs at Mawgan Porth, the South West Coast Path runs straight past most of the big new-builds as it climbs out of the village. Every passing hiker will be peering in. Even so, there's no doubting the main attraction here. It's the coast, and you don't need to be a gazillionaire to enjoy it. Yes, parts of it have gone a bit west London. At the Beach Box Café you can buy Eton mess waffles (served with strawberry gelato) for £8.95 ( Muddle & Press next door is the place for your espresso macchiato or matcha tea ( But you'll also find accommodation at every price point in its hinterland. The Bedruthan Hotel & Spa and its design-led sister property, Scarlet, fly the flag for high-quality hotel-keeping (B&B doubles from £120; Nearby, the Park offers shepherds' huts, lodges and cabins, and if it's a campsite you're after, I can recommend the Camping and Caravanning Club's Tregurrian site, just above Watergate Bay. I first parked a camper van there 25 years ago (pitches from £30.50; • Read our full review of the Scarlet hotel Meanwhile, in the midst of it all, Abell and the team at King Surf are waiting to connect you with the ocean. Group surfing lessons start from £40pp, including a wetsuit and board ( Then, when you've rinsed your sinuses with salt water and let the incoming tide swamp your sandcastle, it's time to walk the cliffs. That's what Vera and I do with our younger boy, Ben, after my lesson, while our older son, Sam, takes my place in the surf. You can go north or south and in both directions the sight of such a vast stretch of water will give you goosebumps. There it is: the Atlantic Ocean, with the first landfall 2,200 miles away in Newfoundland if you head due west. On a day like today it glitters and heaves hypnotically, like some kind of vast, sleeping giant. Up and down it goes, in and out, rocked not by the price of Bitcoin or the rise and fall of the stock market but distant storms, somewhere beyond the horizon. It is, in other words, a mesmerising sight, free to view, available to all, and absolutely Newsom was a guest of Hay House ( which has seven nights' self-catering for ten for £2,495
