Thursday, November 21, 2024

Pictured: The £2m Absolutely Fabulous Dartmoor mansion at the centre of Jennifer Saunders’ and Adrian Edmondson’s planning row

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This is the Absolutely Fabulous manor house owned by Jennifer Saunders and Adrian Edmondson at the centre of a planning row.

Last week, the Mail reported how the pair were locked in a planning row for their dream home – with an official declaring there was ‘insufficient justification and minimal public benefit’ for the work.

The stunning £2million pad is nestled in the Dartmoor National Park.

Unlike her London-loving characters Edina and Patsy, Ab Fab creator Saunders, 66, and her husband Edmondson, 67, decided a move to the country was for her in 2002.

That’s when the celebrity couple ditched their £2.2million London townhouse for the secluded historic farmhouse on the edge of Dartmoor, which they originally bought as a holiday retreat for daughters Ella, Beattie and Freya.

The stunning mansion is owned by Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders and her husband Adrian Edmondson

Jennifer Saunders, 66, and Adrian Edmondson, 67, have been married for 39 years since they tied the knot in 1985

Jennifer Saunders, 66, and Adrian Edmondson, 67, have been married for 39 years since they tied the knot in 1985 

Plans of the proposed alterations to the manor show how cars will be tucked away from view and new windows, doors and an entrance will be put in place

Plans of the proposed alterations to the manor show how cars will be tucked away from view and new windows, doors and an entrance will be put in place

A planning notice outside the property listed a slew of planned changes including a new terrace and garden pavilion

A planning notice outside the property listed a slew of planned changes including a new terrace and garden pavilion

Now, the pair are hoping to win approval for a £250,000 makeover that includes creating a new terrace and garden pavilion at the house.

The comedians said the changes at their home would take cars away from the house and ‘reinforce its significance and enhance its setting’ within the Dartmoor National Park.

However, planning officials at the local council slated plans for a new raised wall and glazed balustrade, saying it would harm the setting of the house.

They also cited the ‘negative impact’ of a new oak-framed garden pavilion for outside dining and called for architects to go back to the drawing board.

Currently, the stunning pad is set on a five-acre estate and has a seperate two-bedroom cottage, workshops, marquee lawn and walled garden.

The beloved comedy couple of Saunders and Edmondson are hoping to renovate the farmhouse into their dream retirement home as they spend more time out of London, where they still own a house. 

Plans of the proposed alterations to the manor show how cars will be tucked away from view and new windows, doors and an entrance will be put in place.

The couple would also like to install a new heat pump and a ‘solar array’. 

Slamming the proposed changes, the building conservation officer said in her report on the plans: ‘The interior and exterior of the building are of high significance architecturally, historically and archaeologically.

Saunders (left), who played Eddie, and her co-star Joanna Lumley (right), who played Patsy, turned the Absolutely Fabulous characters into cult heroes

Saunders (left), who played Eddie, and her co-star Joanna Lumley (right), who played Patsy, turned the Absolutely Fabulous characters into cult heroes 

Saunders and Lumley have remained friends since their time on the show from 1992 to 2004. They reunited for an Absolutely Fabulous film in 2016

Saunders and Lumley have remained friends since their time on the show from 1992 to 2004. They reunited for an Absolutely Fabulous film in 2016

Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (right) as Richie and Eddie in Bottom, which ran from 1991 to 1995

Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (right) as Richie and Eddie in Bottom, which ran from 1991 to 1995

Edmondson made his name as Vyvyan on The Young Ones from 1982 to 1984. Pictured left to right: Christopher Ryan as Mike, Rik Mayall as Rick, Adrian Edmondson as Vyvyan and Nigel Planer as Neil on the show

Edmondson made his name as Vyvyan on The Young Ones from 1982 to 1984. Pictured left to right: Christopher Ryan as Mike, Rik Mayall as Rick, Adrian Edmondson as Vyvyan and Nigel Planer as Neil on the show

‘As the application currently stands, the impact of the proposals on the significance of the listed building and their setting has not been minimised.

‘There is also insufficient justification for the works and minimal public benefit.’

Even so, there have been no objections so far from neighbours.

Planners are expected to make a final decision next month.

Saunders and Edmondson did not respond to a request for comment. 

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