Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan have received the green light to build a designer granny flat in the grounds of their new Essex mansion.
The celebrity couple, both 34, re-submitted drawings to Epping Forest District Council with their plans, which reveal that the annexe will have an ensuite bedroom, a cloakroom, kitchen, dining area and sitting area.
It is understood that the 60 sq ft annexe – which is bigger than the average London flat – will be used by the couple’s parents when they come to visit their dream home, which is in the process of being built.
Their dream home in Essex is in the process of being build and will come complete with five bedrooms, a bar, gym, playroom and an outdoor swimming pool as well as the new granny flat
The designer granny flat will be added to the grounds of the new mansion that the couple are currently building in Essex and new plans have shown the staggering size of the outhouse
Pictures from the planning documents show the new granny flat which is being designed as part of the couple’s new home
The former TOWIE star and former Coronation Street actress purchased the original property together for £1.3million in October 2019 and in January 2020, it was revealed that they were demolishing the four-bedroom farmhouse onsite for a lavish new five-bedroom mansion with a ‘classical design’, complete with bar, gym, kids’ playroom, and outdoor swimming pool.
They first applied to build the granny flat last year, but withdrew the plans for encroaching onto public property.
It will be used to provide care for Mark’s parents, Carol and Mark Sr.
In an application to Epping Forest District Council, MP Architects LLP said: ‘We attach our planning application for the removal of the existing stable building and construction of a 1-bedroom annex, in conjunction with the approved new house.
The stables in the property are also set to be demolished as part of the couple’s plans for their new Essex mansion
Swanky: They purchased the original property for £1.3million in October 2019 and in January 2020, it was revealed that they were demolishing the four-bedroom farmhouse onsite for a lavish new five-bedroom mansion with a ‘classical design’
‘The annexe is for the use of our client’s parents, who need to be close to our clients for care.
‘The annexe provides one bedroom, bathroom, a TV room and an open plan kitchen, living and dining area with a feature window and doors to provide good views over the countryside.’
The additional build can now go ahead after receiving approval from the Stanford Rivers Parish Council and council experts.
Epping Forest District Council gave the green light to the project on June 10.
‘The previous application was withdrawn due to issues regarding the public right of way, which has now been resolved as confirmed by the Highways Officer,’ it said, explaining why the build had been approved in the second application.
The couple have been sharing the progress being made on their dream home with their fans on social media sites
Mark and Michelle are in the process of building the house from scratch after they sold their five-bedroom pile in rural Essex
On one side of the property, there’s a public right of way, which would have been blocked by previous plans that the couple had for their dream home, according to objections raised by two local councils in the area
Drawings on the planning application show the proposed changes being made to make the granny flat on the site
‘To add, the cumulative impact of the replacement dwelling – and increase of some 30 per cent over the original building – and this proposal in this instance is acceptable.’
But, the couple have been warned that they will not be able to make any future additions.
‘However the local planning authority considers that there would be no further capacity for any future extensions or additions to the main dwelling and the annexe due to the cumulative harm to the green belt,’ the council added.
They have been other snags in their plans along the way, with criticism over their plans to make their estate more secure by surrounding it was a ‘rendered wall’ between 1.8 metres and 2.1 metres high.
Both Epping Forest District Council and Stanford Rivers Parish Council hit out at the ‘inappropriate’ plans submitted last November claiming they’re not in keeping with the tone of the ‘rural area’ and they would have to cut down trees to make way for the wall.
The couple have been sharing the process of building their dream home from scratch on social media
Pictures taken from the nearby public path show that the couple are starting afresh with their property
Pictures taken from the nearby public path show that the couple are starting afresh with their property
On one side of the property, there’s a public right of way, which would be blocked, according to the objections.
The couple have been sharing updates on the development of their ‘Wrighty home’ with their fans on social media, recently taking to Instagram to show their plans for their garden, which will include a swimming pool, which will be carried out by Rosebank Landscaping.
They said: ‘Our garden means the world to us and we love the outdoors. We searched high and low to find the best landscape designers, after realising that there was only one company for us.
‘It’s funny how you can have a dream, tell the professionals and they make your dream bigger than you ever imagined.
‘Here is what the boys Cam and Matt Keightley have designed and created for us. Absolutely blown away and cannot wait to see it come to life.’
The couple have been sharing the process of creating their new home on social media with their fans
Work is ongoing to make the couple’s dream home, which that have called ‘Wrighty Home’ a reality
The snaps show the work in progress being done on the main house, before moving onto the granny annexe
They have also shared stunning before and after shots with their fans online which show the original farmhouse as it stands and the CGI plans of their home.
The traditional wood-beamed farmhouse will be transformed into a beautiful white home complete with pillars out front and vast windows, in a design some have likened to the white house.
‘Here’s the lovely house that we purchased back in 2019 vs what we are hoping to create,’ they wrote in a social media post.
‘It’s been a long process so far and still a long way to go but sooner or later we will have the house we could have only ever dreamed of.’
The couple have been together since 2012, and were married in 2015. They regularly share snaps of their life together with fans on social media.