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Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
James Corden's crumbling £8.5m 'dream' mansion left untouched for years
James Corden's 'dream' £8.5million mansion remains untouched, despite plans being approved more than two years ago. The former Late Late Show host purchased Templecombe House in Oxfordshire in 2020 with plans to move back to the UK Actor James Corden 's £8.5m 'dream' family home in the UK remains untouched, more than two years after he got the go-ahead for his plans. The Gavin and Stacey star snapped up Templecombe House in Oxfordshire back in 2020, with hopes of moving there with his family after eight years stateside. In January 2023, he was given the green light to knock down the existing property and build a new six-bedroom mansion, subject to certain conditions. Before work could start, Corden's team had to agree to a series of 'obligations' through a section 106 legal agreement with Wokingham Borough Council. Despite initial pushback from the local council and English Heritage, an agreement was finally reached, clearing the way for James to start work on his dream home. However, recent aerial snaps show no visible progress has been made on the site, which remains empty with no signs of when work will begin. Planning documents from the original application reveal that he initially wanted new leisure facilities including an indoor and outdoor pool, a sauna and steam room as part of the development. However, his proposal was only given the thumbs up once these elements were taken out of his plans. Corden was required to make several adjustments during the planning process, including implementing lighting measures to safeguard bats, badgers, and glow worms. He was also instructed to carry out landscaping to preserve the 45 granite megalithic stones on the property, reports Gloucestershire Live. Furthermore, Corden was directed to commission a series of test trenches across the site and permit archaeologists to work there. English Heritage had expressed concerns that the pool house was too close to the historic collection of 45 vertical granite megalithic stones that form a circle in the Grade II listed grounds. The Mont de la Ville 'dolmen' was first unearthed on the island in the 18th century and gifted to then Jersey governor Henry Seymour Conway in 1788. Field Marshal Conway, as he later became known, had the dolmen transported to his Henley-on-Thames estate, where it still stands today. Jersey officials had previously expressed their hopes to return the monument back to the island and were seeking support from the TV star. Corden came into possession of the Mont de la Ville dolmen when he bought Templecombe House in Berkshire. Mr Corden and his wife, Julia, shelled out £8.5million for the property near Henley-on-Thames, a sprawling 43-acre estate that includes the dolmen. The original country house, constructed in 1869, is thought to have served as a boarding school from 1948 until its demolition in 1961, when it was replaced with the current house. The decision to approve the rebuild came as Templecombe House had fallen into disrepair and was attracting urban explorers. Corden has been granted planning permission to replace the existing home with a two-storey, six-bedroom property featuring a basement, a spacious internal courtyard, kitchen, living room, dining room and a breakfast room that opens onto a large terrace area with a playroom. The new home will also boast two study areas, three bathrooms and a boot room. The first floor will house five ensuite bedrooms and a main bedroom with two ensuites, opening onto a balcony. Documents reveal that the existing tennis court will be retained, but extensive landscaping work will be undertaken across the site. Detailed construction plans for the new building were approved by the council in March of last year. These included measures for the protection of wildlife and trees, as well as flood mitigation strategies prior to construction. It was previously reported that James, his wife Julia and their three children planned to move into the Henley-on-Thames house, located on the border of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, as soon as possible.
Edinburgh Live
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
James Corden's 'dream' £8.5m home in UK remains untouched two years after plans
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The £8.5m 'dream' family home that James Corden snapped up for his UK return remains untouched, even after more than two years since plans were approved. The Gavin and Stacey star bought Templecombe House in Oxfordshire back in 2020, with the intention of moving there with his family after an eight-year stint in America. In January 2023, the green light was given to proposals to knock down the existing property and build a new six-bedroom mansion, subject to certain conditions. Before any work could start, Corden's representatives had to agree to a series of 'obligations' through a section 106 legal agreement with the local planning authority, Wokingham Borough Council. Despite initial pushback from the local council and English Heritage, an agreement was finally reached, clearing the path for James to start work on his dream home. However, recent aerial photos show no visible progress on the site, which remains empty with no signs indicating when further action will be taken. READ MORE - Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones' heartfelt message to James Cordon after BAFTA win READ MORE - Queen Elizabeth's brutal response when Prince Philip told her 'do shut up' Planning documents linked to the original application suggest that he initially wanted new leisure facilities including an indoor and outdoor pool, a sauna and steam room as part of the development. However, his proposal was only given the go-ahead once these elements of his plans were removed. Corden was required to make several adjustments during the planning process, including implementing lighting measures to safeguard bats, badgers, and glow worms. Furthermore, he was instructed to carry out landscaping to preserve the 45 granite megalithic stones on the property, reports Gloucestershire Live. (Image: SWNS) He was also directed to commission a series of test trenches across the site and permit archaeologists to work there. English Heritage had expressed concerns that the pool house was too close to the historic collection of 45 vertical granite megalithic stones that form a circle in the Grade II listed grounds. The Mont de la Ville 'dolmen' was initially discovered on the island in the 18th century and gifted to then Jersey governor Henry Seymour Conway in 1788. Field Marshal Conway, as he later became known, had the dolmen transported to his Henley-on-Thames estate, where it still stands today. Jersey officials had previously expressed their hopes to return the monument back to the island and were seeking support from the television presenter. Corden came into possession of the Mont de la Ville dolmen when he bought Templecombe House in Berkshire. Mr Corden and his wife, Julia, shelled out £8.5million for the property near Henley-on-Thames, a sprawling 43-acre estate that includes the dolmen. The original country house, constructed in 1869, is thought to have served as a boarding school from 1948 until its demolition in 1961, when it was replaced with the current structure. Templecombe House had fallen into disrepair and attracted urban explorers by the time the decision to approve the rebuild was made. Corden has been granted planning permission to replace the existing home with a two-storey, six-bedroom property featuring a basement, a spacious internal courtyard, kitchen, living room, dining room, and a breakfast room that opens onto a large terrace area with a playroom. The new design also includes two study areas, three bathrooms, and a boot room. The first floor will consist of five ensuite bedrooms and a main bedroom with two ensuites, opening onto a balcony. Documents reveal that the existing tennis court will be retained, but extensive landscaping work will be carried out across the site. Detailed construction plans for the new building were approved by the council in March last year. These included measures to protect animals and trees and mitigate flooding before construction begins. It was previously reported that James, his wife Julia, and their three children planned to move into the Henley-on-Thames house, located on the border of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, as soon as possible.
Wales Online
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
James Corden's £8.5m dream family home still boarded up two years later
James Corden's £8.5m dream family home still boarded up two years later James Corden and his family purchased Templecombe House in Oxfordshire back in 2020 with plans to move back to the UK after eight years in America, but it remains untouched The home owned by James Corden which he is planning to pull down The £8.5m 'dream' family home that James Corden bought for his return to the UK remains untouched - more than two years after plans were approved. The Gavin and Stacey star snapped up Templecombe House in Oxfordshire back in 2020, with hopes of moving there with his family after eight years in America. In January 2023, plans to knock down the existing property and build a new six-bedroom mansion were given the go-ahead, subject to certain conditions. Before work could start, Corden's representatives had to agree to a series of 'obligations' through a section 106 legal agreement with the local planning authority, Wokingham Borough Council. Despite initial opposition from the local council and English Heritage, an agreement was finally reached, clearing the way for James to start work on his dream home. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . However, more than two years since approval was granted, recent aerial photos show no visible progress has been made on the site, which remains empty with no signs indicating when further action will be taken. Planning documents related to the original application suggest that he initially wanted new leisure facilities including an indoor and outdoor pool, a sauna and steam room as part of the development. However, his proposal was only approved once these elements of his plans were removed. The home owned by James Corden which he is planning to pull down (Image: SWNS ) Article continues below Corden was required to make several adjustments during the planning process, including implementing lighting measures to safeguard bats, badgers, and glow worms. Furthermore, he was instructed to carry out landscaping to preserve the 45 granite megalithic stones on the property, reports Gloucestershire Live. He was also directed to commission a series of test trenches across the site and permit archaeologists to work there. English Heritage had expressed concerns that the pool house was too close to the historic collection of 45 vertical granite megalithic stones that form a circle in the Grade II listed grounds. The Mont de la Ville 'dolmen' was initially discovered on the island in the 18th century and gifted to then Jersey governor Henry Seymour Conway in 1788. Field Marshal Conway, as he later became known, had the dolmen transported to his Henley-on-Thames estate, where it still stands today. James Corden Jersey officials had previously expressed their desire to return the monument back to the island and were hoping for support from the television presenter. Corden came into possession of the Mont de la Ville dolmen when he bought Templecombe House in Berkshire. Mr Corden and his wife, Julia, shelled out £8.5million for the property near Henley-on-Thames, a sprawling 43-acre estate that includes the dolmen. The original country house, constructed in 1869, is thought to have served as a boarding school from 1948 until its demolition in 1961, when it was replaced with the current house. The decision to approve the rebuild came after Templecombe House had fallen into disrepair and attracted urban explorers. Corden has been granted planning permission to replace the existing home with a two-storey, six-bedroom property featuring a basement, a spacious internal courtyard, kitchen, living room, dining room and a breakfast room that opens onto a large terrace area with a playroom. The new design also includes two study areas, three bathrooms and a boot room. The stone circle at the home of James Corden. The first floor will consist of five ensuite bedrooms and a main bedroom with two ensuites, opening onto a balcony. Documents reveal that the existing tennis court will be retained, but extensive landscaping work will be undertaken across the site. Detailed construction plans for the new building were approved by the council in March last year, which included measures for the protection of wildlife and trees, as well as flood mitigation strategies prior to construction. It was previously reported that James, his wife Julia and their three children planned to move into the Henley-on-Thames house, located on the border of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, as soon as possible. Article continues below
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plan for 'urgently needed' Muslim centre in Winnersh denied
Plans for an "urgently needed" Muslim place of worship and community centre have been refused over parking Community Connect Wokingham wanted to convert a unit in Winnersh Fields into a building for "Islamic education, worship and community".The building was previously used as an office and is close to other offices and retail submitted to Wokingham Borough Council argued that a place of worship for the Muslim community would contribute towards social inclusion. The proposal received dozens of letters of support from the Muslim community, arguing it would add value to the Chowdry wrote to the authority: "The Muslim population in the borough has grown over the last few years and this space would provide a much needed place of worship and community space."There are many Muslim working professionals and business owners living in Wokingham and this facility would go a long way to support a thriving, diverse community."Sana Naseem said the centre was "urgently needed", while Saad Iqbal said it would "enrich the entire Winnersh community". But others raised concerns about whether enough parking would be supplied for those visiting the centre, as well as the impact on surrounding Bhat said the area is "already busy" and worried the additional car movement would "worsen the situation".Conservative councillor Pauline Jorgensen said she was supportive of the centre but the plans had "inadequate" parking leader of the council Prue Bray said she "welcomed" the plans as it was "extremely difficult" for faith communities to find suitable locations for worship, including Christian she added that parking conditions should be applied if given Borough Council planning officers refused the its decision notice, the council said the applicant had failed to demonstrate how the proposal would not have an adverse effect on roads and traffic. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Road near primary school set for permanent closure
A stretch of road near a primary school is set to be permanently closed off to traffic to improve safety. Wokingham Borough Council is looking to ban vehicles from School Road in Arborfield, Berkshire. Under the plan, vehicles - excluding emergency services and local buses - would not be allowed to exit or enter parts of the road near the Coombes Primary School. The authority said the proposal to bring in the ban permanently comes after a successful trial with a final decision expected on 2 May. Arborfield and Newland Parish Council said the experimental closure of School Road had "been very successful" and "very popular" with parents at the Coombes Primary School. The parish council said the scheme would improve "the lives of residents" and urged the borough council to permanently close the stretch of School Road. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. School-run road closure to carry on after trial Wokingham Borough Council
