Cate Blanchett Forced to Retreat in Cornish Bat Conservation Dispute
Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett has been compelled to withdraw ambitious garden plans for her £1.6 million Cornish eco-home after ecological experts warned the proposed development could negatively impact local bat populations. The 56-year-old star and her playwright husband Andrew Upton had submitted detailed proposals to Cornwall Council for extensive landscaping around their cliff-top property in Mawgan Porth.
The Lighting Plan That Sparked Conservation Concerns
The couple recently applied to discharge several conditions attached to their 2022 planning permission, including specific requirements regarding outdoor lighting, landscaping features, and external shutters. Their latest design included four distinct types of lighting: eight pole-mounted path lights, three spike lights positioned beneath trees, three low-level step lights, and four wall-mounted fixtures.
However, a formally consulted ecologist subsequently wrote to the council stating that three of these four lighting options failed to comply with the Bat Conservation Trust guidance referenced in the original planning condition. The 2022 permission specifically required that "a lighting plan as set out in the submitted ecological report to comply with Bat Conservation Trust Guidance Note shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority" before the dwelling could be occupied.
Ecological Recommendations and Previous Surveys
The original ecological report had recommended that external lighting be "minimised where possible" and specified that where lighting was necessary for safety or security, it should be low-level, directed downward, placed on short timers, and use warm white spectrum LED luminaires to reduce blue light components. The guidance explicitly warned against using metal halide or fluorescent sources.
While surveys conducted in November 2020 and May 2021 found no active bat roosts in the building scheduled for demolition, the reports noted that bats were observed foraging throughout the area. This led to recommendations for a low lighting regime and ecological enhancement measures to mitigate potential impacts on the flying mammals.
Withdrawn Application and Detailed Landscaping Plans
According to the Cornwall Council planning portal, the application to discharge conditions regarding landscaping, lighting, and shutters has now been officially withdrawn. The confirmation states simply: "Submission of details to discharge Condition numbers 3 (Landscaping), 6 (Lighting) and 7 (Shutters) in respect of Decision Notice PA21/12699. Cornwall Council, hereby confirms that the above mentioned application has been withdrawn."
The withdrawn plans included extensive "mass planting" featuring olearia bushes, sea thrift, ornamental grasses such as Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, and scattered Cornish boulders. Additional proposals involved installing hardwood decking adjacent to the house, creating a grass driveway stabilized with Greenstones pavers, and constructing steps using corten steel and Cornish granite.
Local Opposition and Celebrity Influx
This latest planning setback follows previous local complaints about the Blanchett-Upton development, with some residents arguing the project has "ruined" the area's natural charm and contributed to rising housing costs that price locals out of the market. One holiday home owner, Karen Burgess, claimed construction noise had "destroyed" her guests' holidays and resulted in approximately £60,000 in lost rental revenue over the past year.
The couple's arrival in Cornwall has coincided with an increased celebrity presence in the seaside village, with notable visitors including David Beckham, Kate Winslet, Noel Gallagher, Jason Statham, and Jamie Dornan. Their original 2022 permission allowed them to demolish a £1.6 million cottage and replace it with a five-bedroom eco-home in what has been dubbed "Hollywood on Sea" by local observers.
The withdrawn landscaping application represents the latest chapter in a four-year property saga that began when the Hollywood power couple purchased the coastal property with plans for comprehensive redevelopment. While their main eco-home construction has proceeded, this specific garden and lighting plan has now been shelved following ecological concerns about potential impacts on Cornwall's bat populations.
