James Corden has received planning permission to demolish his £8 million country mansion near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and replace it with a new six-bedroom luxury home. The 1960s property, which includes a Grade II-listed Druid's Temple and a swimming pool, had fallen into disrepair while the TV host was based in the United States for his Late Late Show.
The new two-storey mansion will be 18 per cent larger than the existing building, with a subterranean basement housing a plant room and storage. Plans include a sweeping Victorian-style lawn and a walled garden for vegetables and flowers. However, Corden had to abandon proposals for a large pool house with two pools, a yoga studio, and a massage room to secure approval from Wokingham Borough Council.
The council stated: 'The principle of the development is supported as a replacement dwelling is not inappropriate development in the Green Belt, subject to consideration of openness.' Revisions resolved initial objections from Historic England and the council's conservation officer, though the Gardens Trust and the council's trees officer remain opposed. The trees officer described the design as 'unsympathetic and incongruous' with the local area.
The ground floor will feature an entrance hallway, kitchen, living room, dining room, breakfast room, playroom, two studies, three bathrooms, and a boot room. The first floor will have five en-suite bedrooms, including a main bedroom with two en-suites and a balcony. The existing driveway will be removed, and landscaping will create a partially-walled garden while retaining the tennis courts.
The site also contains a Grade II-listed Druid's Temple, a circle of 45 granite stones presented to Field-Marshal Henry Seymour Conway by the inhabitants of Jersey. The surrounding grassland hosts slow worms, grass snakes, badgers, and breeding birds such as red kites. Corden's plans ensure views from the temple remain unharmed.
