Paul Hollywood has lost a battle to build a walled kitchen garden at his Kent farmhouse.
The Bake Off star bought the Grade II-listed property near Ashford for more than £800,000 in 2019.
Bake Off star Paul Hollywood hoped to upgrade his Grade II-listed property near Ashford
Proposals were lodged with Ashford Borough Council (ABC) earlier this year to demolish the home’s conservatory to make way for an open-plan kitchen garden to provide space for filming cookery shows.
But the authority found the plans would not be a “sympathetic or appropriate addition” to the 18th-century site.
The officers’ report adds: “The proposed extension, by virtue of its size, scale, bulk, design and massing, would not be a sympathetic or appropriate addition to the listed building and would detract from its special interest and significance.
“It would cause less than substantial harm to the heritage asset, and no overriding public benefit has been identified which would outweigh this harm.”
Mr Hollywood also wanted to turn the old kitchen into a study, make a dining room into a sitting room, replace four Crittall-style windows with traditional timber alternatives and create a family room from an existing sitting room.
“The scale of filming is not clear…”
Documents submitted on his behalf by agents Lander Planning said the current size and layout of the kitchen does not meet “modern-day standards” and those expected in a larger four-bedroom house.
They said the new extension would be a “separate entity” to the main house and “visually and appropriately proportioned”.
“The existing conservatory, proposed to be demolished, is structurally unsound and needs replacing,” they added.
“The kitchen is not fit for purpose, being a compact galley with a narrow walkway in between two parallel countertops, providing limited workspace and storage.
“The proposed plan will provide a suitable open plan cooking and dining space, with considerably more light provided into the kitchen than the current arrangement.”
It was also stated the proposed extension would be used for “ad-hoc filming” by Mr Hollywood.
Ashford Borough Council threw out Mr Hollywood’s plan
The documents explained that the existing kitchen “is not large and is too narrow for filming purposes – the cameras cannot be set up adequately to obtain the required shots”.
“The public benefits of the proposal are that it will provide a kitchen space that is befitting of a property of this size, securing the property’s future marketability and thus viability,” they added.
“The use of the space for television cookery shows is a unique factor, which would be of social benefit to the public.”
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One comment was registered on ABC’s planning portal from the parish council, which questioned the use of the new kitchen for filming.
The authority commented: “We would like to understand the commercial use and what the social benefit is to the parish.
“The application speaks of filming within the property, but the scale of filming is not clear.”
It is unknown if Mr Hollywood will appeal the decision, but he has been contacted for comment.
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