John Terry is growing exotic ‘wildlife corridor’ in £20m housing project after demolishing £4.5m mansion
FOOTBALL tough guy John Terry is going all Chelsea Flower Show — by growing a “wildlife corridor” with 140 varieties of exotic plants and trees.
The former Blues skipper and England defender, 41, has chosen ones with tongue-twisting Latin names such as Carpinus betulus, Lamium maculatum ‘White Nancy’ and Ligustrum japonicum ‘Superbum’.
Some — including Cornus kousa, Cercis canadensis and Pyrus calleryana — sound more like colleagues from the multi-national line-ups at Stamford Bridge, where banners still hail him as “Captain, Leader, Legend”.
Terry has also promised to build a “nature pond” as part of a £20million housing project that will see the demolition of a £4.5million mansion he owns.
He wants to replace it with two homes, each worth around £10million, on the exclusive Crown Estate in Oxshott, Surrey.
A number of trees will have to be felled and to comply with strict planning conditions, amid neighbours’ objections, he must create a “biodiversity mitigation strategy”.
His builders have now submitted plans revealing how he intends to compensate for the loss of wildlife, vegetation and an existing pond.
They include “new wildlife-friendly planting” which will provide a “range of habitats for local species and act as wildlife corridors” for animals such as badgers and rabbits.
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The plans, seen by The Sun, also list a mixture of small herbaceous plants and larger shrubs, trees, hedges and even topiary.
A row of hedges will separate the two plots, with trees “framing” the entrance gates.
Terry has also promised to install “a series of bat and bird boxes at suitable locations to enhance roosting and nesting opportunities”.
The green plan has been approved by his local council, Natural England, Surrey Bat Group and Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Terry, who played 492 times for Chelsea and won 78 Three Lions caps, will now build one six-bedroom pad and another with five.
Both will include a kitchen diner, a family room, a drawing room, a dining room, a bar and a dressing room.
The larger property will also boast a swimming pool, a gym and a circular drive around an “island”.
Terry lives with wife Toni in another £4.35million mansion in nearby Cobham.
