Ray Winstone loses battle to extend his £4m Grand Designs-style home after council rule his plans were ‘inappropriate’
RAY Winstone has lost a battle to extend his £4million home.
The council ruled the actor's plans for a Grand Designs-style makeover at his sprawling Essex mansion were "inappropriate" and "detrimental" to the area.
The film and TV "hard man" wanted replace his ground-floor games room with an open-plan kitchen with lantern skylights.
He also hoped to build out to the side and back and convert his loft into a sixth bedroom with dormer windows.
Doubling the size of his porch and replacing a flat roof with a pitched one also featured on the application, which his agent Graham Aldridge said would "create a much more comfortable place to live in line with modern standards".
But documents show Winstone's local authority rejected the proposal because his late Victorian farmhouse is already plenty big enough.
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Caroline Brown, planning officer at Epping Forest District Council, said: "The property has been a significantly extended over time with a large two-storey extension to the east and rear, a single-storey extension to its western side and a wide square porch to the front.
"The proposal seeks to still further increase the number of extensions to the property which amounts to disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original dwelling house and is detrimental to the open character and the visual amenity of the green belt area."
She went on to describe the development as "inappropriate", arguing that nothing outweighed the "harm" it would cause.
"Although modern in date, the subject site was designed in order to appear sympathetic within its rural, traditional environment," Ms Brown added.
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Conservation officer Stela Sudekum agreed, adding that the extensions, akin to something from Grand Designs, would "harm the character" of the neighbourhood.
Winstone, best known for his "tough guy" roles, was given the green light to extend his home in February 2019.
But construction didn't begin within the three-year window and this permission expired, reports.
His re-application in March last year was rejected earlier this month.
Winstone has starred in a string of Hollywood blockbusters including The Departed, Indiana Jones and Hugo, as well as British favourites Sexy Beast, King of Thieves and Quadrophenia.
He has also featured in ITV drama series The Trials of Jimmy Rose.
His property, which boasts multiple swimming pools, tanning booths and a 55ft entertainment barn, is described by an estate agent as "delightfully quintessentially English".
