Paul O’Grady’s partner WINS row with neighbours over plans at star’s £3m mansion after fears it would ‘cheapen’ village
PAUL O’Grady’s widower has won a battle with neighbours over plans to turn a hut at the late TV star’s £3million home into a holiday let.
Brazilian ballet dancer Andre Portasio, who inherited the Kent estate following his husband Paul’s death last year, plans to turn an existing groundskeeper’s house into a cottage to be rented to tourists.
This sparked objections from some neighbours who said there was no need to have more holiday homes in the area, warning of a “constant stream of visiting car drivers”, MailOnline reports.
Some said that a holiday let is not what beloved TV star O’Grady “would have wanted” and the plans would “cheapen” the rural Kent village.
Other residents had written in to support the proposal, which has now been given the go-ahead by Ashford Council.
Sally Hodgson, a planning officer, said: “Central government guidance supports sustainable business, enterprise and tourism in rural areas, both through the conversion of existing buildings and well-designed new buildings.
“This is endorsed by the Local Plan which seeks to encourage the sustainable growth of tourism.”
Four years ago O’Grady was given the green light for a groundskeeper’s outbuilding, dance studio and gym at the estate.
Following O’Grady’s death at age 67 last year, the Ashford property, which boasts a summerhouse, fruit tree orchard and outdoor swimming pool, was bequeathed to Portasio.
The widower then planned to turn the outbuilding into a separate two-bed house.
He applied for a “change of use” for the lodge, which has a kitchen, shower, and office, and is based next to the family pet cemetery.
Planning permission was denied but he then applied to transform it into a holiday let.
This sparked further objections from neighbours, with one writing to the council to say: “‘If this proposal is permitted, it would signal that persistence can pay off for inappropriate developments in the countryside.
“It would demonstrate that the tactic of building a non-residential property with the intention of subsequently converting it for residential use can be successful.”
The resident, Sheila Garrard, said that it was not stated why the groundskeeper’s outbuilding was now redundant, because the grounds are still “as big as ever”.
She added that a search on Airbnb for one-bed properties in the area during August found availability at six locations within five miles.
A second resident, Peter Ashenden, claimed that the applicant explained to him that he plans to sell the “whole house property” but to keep the new dwelling for his own future use.
He added that a holiday let would bring in a “constant stream of visiting car drivers unfamiliar with the property’s awkward access”.
Lily Savage star O’Grady bought the six-bedroom farmhouse for £650,000, in 1999, but it is now believed to be worth £3million.
The sprawling 50-acre estate lies in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and also comes with four acres of woodland in the so-called Garden of England, where past and present neighbours include comedians Julian Clary and Alan Carr.
Planning permission for the outbuilding was granted four years ago on condition that it “shall only be used for purposes incidental/ancillary to the enjoyment of the dwelling house and not for primary habitable accommodation”.
Love of Dogs presenter O’Grady passed away at the home the couple shared in March, 2023, aged 67.
He died due to a sudden cardiac arrhythmia and had twice suffered a heart attack before his fatal collapse.
Portasio married O’Grady in 2017 after first getting together in 2006.
It is understood he is the main beneficiary of O’Grady’s £8.6million fortune.
TIMELINE OF THE KENT ESTATE
1999: Paul O’Grady buys the six-bedroom farmhouse for £650,000
2006: O’Grady gets together with Andre Portasio
2017: The couple get married
2020: O’Grady is given go-ahead for groundskeeper’s outbuilding on his estate on condition that it “shall only be used for purposes incidental/ancillary to the enjoyment of the dwelling house and not for primary habitable accommodation”
March 2023: O’Grady dies, bequeathing husband Andre Portasio the Kent estate, now believed to be worth £3million
June 2024: Portasio loses bid to turn outbuilding into a two-bedroom house three times its current size
July 2024: Portasio wins battle to turn the outbuilding into a holiday let cottage to be rented to tourists
