Mark Hepburn bought Hampshire’s Cupressus for £740,000 in 2017, later adding extensive leisure facilities to its grounds.
Residents complained about late-night parties, outdoor discos and lights that remained on overnight, illuminating the tennis court, swimming pool and other parts of the property, according to The Sun. The changes also included artificial grass, timber buildings and a gravel car park. The grounds reportedly housed a pen for the family’s pet micro-pigs and space for a flock of alpacas. Some also alleged that mature trees had been removed and that fencing had affected the movement of wildlife, including badgers, deer and foxes. The ruling grants Hepburn six months to comply with the enforcement notice. The required measures include removing the unauthorised tennis court and associated development, as well as ending the land’s unauthorised residential use.
Other neighbours expressed concern about the effect of the development on the area’s rural appearance, pointing to the brightly coloured court, playground and additional buildings as a departure from the previously open countryside, states another report by Daily Mail.
Mark Hepburn, 53, purchased the property known as Cupressus for £740,000 in December 2017, according to The Sun. A countryside property can be a private retreat, but transforming agricultural land into an elaborate leisure complex can bring planning rules into sharp focus. In Durley, near Southampton, a former Starbucks franchise executive’s ambitious garden makeover has ended in a planning setback after a three-year dispute. A planning inspector has backed Winchester City Council’s enforcement action, requiring the removal of the unauthorised tennis court and associated structures, alongside an end to the land’s unauthorised residential use, within six months. The six-bedroom home’s surrounding land was subsequently transformed with a range of recreational and residential features, including a bright blue tennis court, children’s playground, gym, bar and television room.