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Mr. Bean Rowan Atkinson’s House – Celebrity Houses
Rowan Atkinson upsets neighbours with plans to replace 1930s country house with 'futuristic petrol station' home
By ANDY DOLAN
Rowan Atkinson has infuriated neighbours in a 7th century village with plans to bulldoze his country home and replace it with a modernist steel and glass house.
One villager described the three-storey, five-bedroom home as a 'space-age petrol station'.
The 55-year-old star of Mr Bean and Blackadder wants to spend an estimated £5million creating the state-of-the-art house.
Conflict: Atkinson wants to demolish the existing 1930s Handsmooth House, above, and replace it with a futuristic home, below
But neighbours complain that the structure, which will sit on a prominent hill, is out of character in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Plans for the 30ft-high mansion, designed by U.S. architect Richard Meier, include a walkway over a courtyard connecting the home to a lawned terrace and tennis court, as well as stables and an underground garage.
Atkinson wants to turn a swimming pool into a two-storey guest wing set into the hillside.
He and his wife Sunetra, 52, bought Handsmooth House, which stands in 16 acres overlooking the Chilterns at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, for £2,647,500 in 2006.
But the couple, who also own homes in London and Northamptonshire, did not move in and the dilapidated 1930s property has been left empty.
Conflict: Atkinson faces criticism from neighbours over his plans to build a modern home as he waits for council approval
Neighbours had hoped he might restore the old house to keep it in harmony with its surroundings.
But yesterday they said the plans would 'ruin the character of the area'. Farmer Ben Yates, 45, said: 'It will look like an ugly space-age petrol station.
'The houses round here all are traditionally built. His will stick out like a sore thumb.'
Emma Hulbert, 45, said: 'While the modern architecture may be appropriate in London it is wholly inappropriate to the rural landscape.'
Parish councillor Ron Baker described it as 'out of place', while Chiltern Conservation Board planning officer Colin White called it 'completely inappropriate'.
It did win the support of one neighbour, though.
Sandra Cooper said: 'He has incorporated ground-source heat pumps, meaning the heating is drawn from the soil; he has photo-voltaic cells transferring light into electricity; and rain water harvesting for things like the outside taps.
'We have no problem with it.'
The plans have also been endorsed by architect Lord Rogers.
Atkinson said: 'I don't want to live in a house that is weird or futuristic but one that is simple, graceful and elegant.
'It would be a shame if people felt that there was no place in the countryside for modern design.'
His planning advisor, Rosie Farquhar, said it will 'replace a building of zero architectural merit with an outstanding contemporary house'.
South Oxfordshire planners will consider the design in September.
Rowan Atkinson's Oxfordshire new home plans approved
The plans include a "guest pavilion" and a tennis courtActor Rowan Atkinson has been given permission to build a modern new home in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The star of Blackadder and Mr Bean hired American architect Richard Meier to design the site in Ipsden, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire.
Some residents said the plans were not in keeping with the rest of the area.
The application was approved by South Oxfordshire Council despite having been recommended for refusal.
The application includes plans to demolish existing accommodation and build a detached house with a "guest pavilion" and a tennis court.
The site already includes a main house, garage, tennis court and other buildings.
Speaking at the planning meeting, Mr Atkinson agreed with the council's conclusion that the house would stand out from, rather than blend in with, the landscape.
However, he said this was not grounds to reject the plans, but simply a description on how good architecture works.
Talking about the colour of the house, Mr Atkinson said there was nothing inappropriate about its stark white colour if the building was proportionally designed and he pointed out that the existing house on the site is white.
The application described the design of the property as "not a departure, but rather a reinvention of the traditional country house".
It added: "The home will add to our architectural heritage rather than parody it."
Atkinson's planning consultant Haydn Morris said this would be the first building in the UK which had been designed by Mr Meier.
'Graceful and elegant'He said: "He has built extensively around the world winning very many awards and he's very highly regarded as one of the world's leading architects.
"We truly believe that the proposal is not simply a replacement house, but a building that will stand the test of time to become a true 'classic'."
Atkinson, who said he had lived in the area for 28 years, said he understood the concerns but said his neighbours "need have no fear".
He said he did not want to live in a house that was "weird or futuristic" but one that is "simple, graceful and elegant".
Ipsden Parish Council and the Chilterns Conservation Board were among those to raise objections that the building would be "conspicuous" and look out of character.
However, some residents wrote letters of support for the design as did a number of architects giving their backing to Mr Meier's work.
Planning officers for South Oxfordshire District Council had recommended the plans were refused due to "the angular form, white finish and the extent of the glazing which would result in buildings which appear as stark features in contrast to the rolling rural landscape of the AONB."
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