Calvin Harris and Vick Hope are forced to adhere to strict eco-regulations as they transform their £3.5million mansion into mega-compound with swimming pool, hot yoga and music studios
Calvin Harris and his wife Vick Hope are facing strict eco-regulations as they transform their £3.5 million Cotswolds mansion into a mega-compound, complete with a swimming pool, hot yoga and music studios.
The eco-friendly pair have had to jump through every hoop possible to fulfill their country dream as they transform three properties into one.
Works have been ongoing at the mansion for the last five years after Harris purchased the original property for more than £3.5 million.
The finished property will feature a basketball court, huge play lawn for the couple's son, Micah, indoor and outdoor pools and interconnecting barns.
DJ Harris, 41, and radio host Hope, 36, have had to make substantial changes to their plans to satisfy local planning regulations, including by recently applying for a special newt licence and turning a garden into a 'wildflower meadow' to tick biodiversity boxes.
The final gardens will also include a kitchen garden, rose arbour, walled garden, a campfire pit, a 'summer tippee' and a reflection pool.
The huge mansion is being transformed on the grounds of three plots: the original house, as well as a neighbouring property and a third house nearby, both bought for more than £2 million.
When complete, it will serve as a luxury family home for Harris, Hope, and their baby son Micah, who was born in Ibiza on July 20.
Works have been ongoing at the mansion, which Harris is said to have purchased for more than £3.5 million, for the last five years
The finished property will feature a basketball court, huge play lawn for the couple's son, Micah, indoor and outdoor pools and interconnecting barns
Calvin Harris's plans to build his very own luxury estate in the Cotswolds have been revealed as he continues to renovate his countryside mansion alongside wife Vick Hope
The couple have gained planning permission to demolish the latter's main abode and replace it with a four-bed home with a music studio and granny flat.
But an ecology report found that there were bird eggs on site and two bat roosts - with Great Crested Newts, a protected species, also potentially present in a nearby pond.
The planning officer noted in his delegated report: 'The applicant has obtained a Great Crested Newt Licence from NatureSpace, which will ensure that the development can be undertaken in a manner that will not have an adverse impact on the aforementioned protected species - as a pond is located approximately 35m to the south-west of the site, which has the potential to host great crested newts.'
Calvin and Vick's team have battled strict eco-rules around 'biodiversity net gain' when it comes to new builds, where they have to leave the natural habitat in at least a tenth better state than it was previously.
To meet this criteria, they are replacing one garden with a wildflower meadow.
'Tree planting is also proposed to the north of the application site which will aid in screening any built form and to enhance biodiversity.
'It is proposed to revert the existing formal garden arrangement to a meadow to compliment the replacement dwelling and create a more natural and sympathetic appearance in terms of the wider landscape,' adds the report.
The property itself will be made up of three 'harmonious collections of barn-shaped volumes articulated together to create a unique and cohesive architectural ensemble', which will ensure complete privacy.
Documents filed with the local council add: 'The proposed design celebrates the traditional barn aesthetic but also creates a functional, inviting, and sustainable living environment that encourages a connection with nature.
The proposed mansion will feature a large music studio on the ground floor
All the barns will use a low carbon heating system to 'optimise energy usage' and the garage will feature charging points for electric vehicles
'It features simple, clean lines in order to reduce its impact on the surrounding countryside and will be hidden from public view, nestled within the landscape.'
The new design will be cutting edge and environmentally friendly, with each barn having solar panels in the roof and 'superior levels of airtightness' to create energy efficient insulated walls, floors and windows.
All the barns will use a low carbon heating system to 'optimise energy usage' and the garage will feature charging points for electric vehicles.
The pair have promised to use 'local labour and craftsmen throughout the build' and 'reduce, reuse, and recycle construction waste, especially from the demolition of the existing house, resulting in reclaimed stone and tiles for other projects in the area'.
Parts of the mansion are being built off-site, called prefabrication, a method often used to construct modern eco-homes.
The couple say this will 'minimise waste and reduce construction time'.
