Former Prime Minister David Cameron faces a setback in his plans to build a £50,000 swimming pool at his Cotswolds home, after West Oxfordshire District Council requested further environmental assessments. The proposed pool, measuring 14 metres by 4 metres with a depth ranging from 1.5 to 2 metres, has raised concerns about its impact on groundwater and potential noise from heating and pumping equipment.
The planning application, submitted in early August, details a pool with a sloping floor, eight underwater lights, and dark tiles, to be constructed in an area of the garden currently described as 'meadow grass'. Council officials have asked for a detailed report on how the pool will affect groundwater and its drainage system, as well as technical noise data for any plant room, citing potential disturbance in the quiet village of Dean.
Mr Cameron, who purchased the £1.5 million property in 2001 when he became MP for Witney, shares the home with his wife Samantha and their three children. The application refers to him as 'Was Witney's MP'. The pool is being built by Oxfordshire-based Blue Water Pools, which declined to comment.
Since leaving office in 2016, Mr Cameron, 53, has focused on fitness after gaining weight during his premiership. The pandemic has led to a surge in demand for private pools in the Cotswolds, with builders reporting full bookings until next April. A spokeswoman for Rio Pools noted a 'boom time' for the industry, as wealthy residents opt for home pools amid travel uncertainties.
