Legendary sitcom star locked in bitter row with neighbours over ‘monstrous’ plans for historic seaside cottage
A SITCOM icon has become embroiled in a bitter neighbour feud over “monstrous” plans for a seaside cottage.
The American actor and comedian has ruffled some feathers in North Somerset after asking permission to demolish a historic property.
Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, 70, and his wife Kayte are attempting to knock down a historic cottage near Portishead, Bristol.
After council planners rejected their initial application to build an extension, the couple decided they’d just pull down the entire property instead.
Horrified neighbours slammed the planning application as “rather monstrous” and said they “strongly object” to the proposal to demolish the 1980s house.
One neighbour wrote an objecting letter describing the plans as “not acceptable.”
They wrote: “We do not wish to stand in the way of this wonderful, historic cottage being modernised and future-proofed, made bigger and/or more suitable to modern living.
“We did not object to, or comment on, the previous planning application, despite the enormous scale of the proposed works.
“However, the possibility of this cottage which is at least 185 years old, being razed to the ground, is not acceptable.
“We would implore the local authority to ensure that this is not allowed to happen.
“A renewed and more moderate set of plans would be the sensible, respectful and appropriate course of action.”
Another disgruntled resident said the Grammers had completely “disregarded” the council’s comments.
They wrote: “How can such a pretty structurally sound cottage with such historical significance be demolished with total disregard for North Somerset Council’s comments?
“Other neighbouring properties have been built in different forms to the existing buildings but they have all replaced chalets which were in poor order and form.
“As the neighbour opposite this application, we strongly object to this proposal.”
Kelsey Grammer, also known for being the voice actor of Stinky Pete the Prospector in Toy Story 2, bought the cottage in 2023 with the intention of doing it up.
He and his wife Kayte, the daughter of Bristol City legend Alan Walsh, married in 2011 and were “pretty excited” about their new home.
They planned to build a large new extension that was up to twice the size of the original building, as well as put in a new basement.
In an interview at the time they made the purchase, Kelsey said: “I love the people in Portishead, and I love my time there.
“It’s a good spot – we’ve actually bought a house there. We bought a little place we’re going to be working on.
“We won’t be taking up residence for a while, but yeah we’re pretty excited about it.
“We have a little view of Wales from the channel there, it’s really nice.”
Little did he know, the work he had planned would upset the local planning authority and disturb multiple neighbours.
Their initial proposals didn’t receive any complaints from residents but were rejected six months ago.
The council stated they would be “conspicuous” from the road and “result in a large and disproportionate enlargement of the dwelling,” which would “harm the openness of the Green Belt.”
The cottage is not a listed building but North Somerset’s heritage experts have stated it’s a “non-designated heritage asset” with fabric which could be dated back to the post medieval period.
Without the go-ahead for their extension, the Brammers chose to simply pull down the property and start afresh.
They submitted the application to demolish the cottage last week, including a report confirming there are no bats living there – but for locals this is not enough.
A third objection letter read: “The concept that the property could be demolished in its entirety as some kind of alternative to the previous planning proposal, is entirely contradictory to all the points raised within the initial refusal.”
The Sun has reached out to Kelsey Grammer for a comment.