Sir David and Victoria Beckham have had their latest planning proposal for their Cotswolds home rejected, with council officials condemning a plan to add an "oak-framed balcony" to the property. The couple bought the nine-bedroom retreat in Oxfordshire for £6.15 million in 2016, and the setback comes shortly after an ecologist ruled that Sir David must remove a "fire pit" on the island in his man-made lake.

Planning officer Nathan Harris raised concerns over the siting and design, arguing the balcony would "detract from the simple agricultural character" of the building and would "fail to conserve and enhance" it, despite the property not being listed. The council's senior conservation and design officer, Bryan Martin, was blunter still, branding the balcony a "non-starter", warning it would be a "domesticating feature" and would obscure a "threshing doorway", and concluding there was "no obvious way to do anything like it". The article notes the "simple agricultural" building nonetheless features a gym, spa, cinema, games room, "Estonian sauna", hot tub and plunge pool.