One resident compared the plans to the Blackpool illuminations
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David and Victoria Beckham have faced backlash from locals over plans to install pond lighting at their Cotswolds home.
The proposals have been likened to the Blackpool illuminations and the bright colours of Miami, while concerns have been raised over the possible impact on bats and lighting pollution.
David, 50, and Victoria, 51, plan to add the lighting at their property in Great Tew, near Chipping Norton, but concerned neighbours have had their say.
The lighting additions are part of a wider £6 million investment which will also see the creation of a wildflower meadow on their land by planting 79 trees.
Commenting on the application, neighbour James Worthington said: "If I am not amiss, this pond ‘lake’ is in the countryside in a rural setting with field etc, around Maplewood Barn.
"Yet what is proposed is more akin to Miami or Florida not Great Tew. Festooned lighting hanging along a 'proposed bridge,'… spotlights, is this really Great Tew or have I mistaken this area for Blackpool?"
Mr Worthington, who submitted a 43-page response, added: "If the applicants want to live in suburbia, then why come to an area like Great Tew? What about the poor foraging and commuting bats?"
He also went further to warn that the lights could become "a source of annoyance to people" and "harmful to wildlife".
The home cost the Beckams £6 million back in 2016 but subsequent renovations of the estate have rocketed the value to around £12 million.
The couple have also applied to plant nine different kinds of trees, which is designed to help guard the property from view.
Mr Worthington added: "Why submit an application when you have already laid the road, installed gates, laid an electricity supply to the gate, planted trees, installed post and rail fencing along both sides of this track?"
The objection isn't the first time the celebrity couple have riled locals with planning applications.
In 2023, the Beckhams won a battle against locals to convert a barn in the garden of their property into offices.
David used to use the barn space to hold his gardening equipment, a space that featured heavily in his four-part Netflix documentary.
A ruling will be made by West Oxfordshire District Council on the most recent plans at a later date.
The couple's pond at the property also attracted controversy after planning papers were initially submitted ahead of its construction in 2020.
Council officers allegedly launched an investigation into the 1,000 square foot sand bank after receiving a complaint that it broke a planning agreement.
A source told the Mail Online: "Neighbours think it is totally out of character for the surrounding area and they are very twitchy around adhering to the rules."
LBC has contacted Beckham's team for comment.
