The Office star was forced to change plans for his new 4-bedroom home
Ricky Gervais is hoping that new plans for his riverside mansion will alleviate concerns about flooding. The star of The Office was compelled to put a stop to plans for a new four-bedroom, £5M neo-classical home to replace a three-bedroom property in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
This was due to objections from the Environment Agency, which raised concerns about further flooding and an alleged failure to mitigate risks. The current home, located on the banks of the River Thames, has been affected by flooding at least five times since 1947.
However, a revised application has now been submitted to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council, altering the height and amending the decision in an attempt to address these concerns.
The comedian from After Life had a previous application – which included a detached car port and other ‘associated works’ – rejected in September last year.
Planners stated at the time that it represented “inappropriate more vulnerable development in a high flood risk zone” and added that it “fails to demonstrate that the development would not have an adverse impact on flood risk.”
But in a fresh application submitted earlier this month, his representatives said: “The proposed replacement dwelling seeks to address the on-going threat posed by flooding. Most relevantly this entails raising the whole of the ground floor above modelled flood levels to reduce the risk of damage to the property in a severe flood event. “
Gervais, through his representatives, stated that to ensure the proposed new home was no larger than the existing building set for demolition, a previously planned side wing had been removed and an outside terrace and staircase area had been ‘commensurately reduced.’
The architects said: “The existing dwelling is of poor design quality, performs poorly in sustainability terms and has a disjointed internal layout and, therefore, any new dwelling should be of high design quality internally and externally. “They asserted that the new home would be “more flood resilient, without negatively impacting upon the wider site’s flood storage capacity.”
They further noted: “It is worth mentioning that there were no objections from neighbours to the proposal and, in addition, that no negative responses were received from internal or external consultees.”
Gervais’ representatives claimed the site “offers an excellent opportunity to create an exceptional family dwelling” and claimed the previous reasons for refusal had been fully addressed.
They concluded: “Therefore, it is hoped, and reasonably anticipated, that Officers will be happy to support the proposal subject to the imposition of any conditions that are considered necessary and reasonable in the context of the proposed development.”
Gervais, who lives with partner Jane Fallon, purchased the property, which is part of a wide portfolio of homes, in 2014 for £2.75M. Its current valuation is said to be worth more than £4M.
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