Trustees of Chevening House, the grace-and-favour country estate of the Foreign Secretary, have suffered a politically embarrassing defeat after district councillors refused permission to build five 30ft-high earth mounds in the grounds. The scheme, which aimed to block the view of the M25 nearly half a mile away, was deemed harmful to the greenbelt and contrary to the Government's own National Planning Policy Framework.
The estate, left to the nation and now at Liz Truss's disposal after she replaced Dominic Raab, had proposed dumping 750,000 cubic metres of rubble to create the mounds. Historic England, an arm's-length body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, supported the plan, saying it would enhance the park and garden. However, Sevenoaks District Council's development control committee rejected it, citing concerns over negative impact on the greenbelt and lorry movements affecting the local community.
Nigel Williams, chairman of Chevening Parish Council, expressed local relief, describing the plan as 'very hush-hush' and a 'narrow escape'. He noted that the mounds would have required 200 lorries passing daily for five years, causing 'terrible disruption for no benefit whatsoever for local people'. He added that the M25 is not even visible from the house, questioning what the new Foreign Secretary thinks of 'ripping up ancient hedgerows' and 'dumping rubble on a site rolling up to the gentle hills'.
The decision comes just six weeks before the UK hosts the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where ministers are expected to tout Britain's environmental commitments. The estate can appeal to new Communities Secretary Michael Gove to overturn the refusal. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to comment, directing inquiries to the estate's board of trustees.
