Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has secured planning permission to extend his £1.8 million home in Buckinghamshire, creating more space to practice his dance moves. The 56-year-old dancer's plans include a single-storey extension, an open-plan kitchen and living area, and a loft conversion featuring a gym, games room, and home cinema.
The approved plans will allow Du Beke to convert his existing kitchen and dining room into a 'rumpus' area and playroom for his five-year-old twins. The extension, which will feature lantern windows in a flat roof, is designed to flood the new living space with natural light.
Du Beke initially applied for a larger part-single, part-two-storey extension in February but withdrew the application after a planning officer warned it would likely be refused due to 'significant' previous additions to the property. He then submitted revised plans for a more modest single-storey kitchen extension, which Buckinghamshire Council approved, with the condition that the work does not disturb any bats.
The dancer, who bought the five-bedroom Arts and Crafts-style house in 2017, has been known to film himself dancing around the property in top hat and tails for social media during lockdowns. His planning agent argued that the extension is necessary to modernise the home, which has 'not kept pace with essential vital modern facilities' in the past 60 years.
The agent's submission to the council stated: 'It is vital that the historic architectural style is maintained.' The plans do not alter the front or north elevations, and the extension is considered a 'measured small scale response' to bring the house into the 21st century. Du Beke shares the home with his wife Hannah, their twins, and two pet Dachshunds.
