It’s been one year since Hollywood A-lister James Corden was given permission to replace an art deco house he owns in Berkshire with a more traditional mansion.
TV’s Mr Corden is known to own Templecombe House near Henley, which was on the market for £8.5 million.
The current Templecombe House is a C-shaped 1960s Art Deco house which has fallen into disrepair, with urban explorers getting access and showing it in a dilapidated state in a video posted on YouTube.
The house is located in Wargrave Road near Henley in Remenham village, which falls under Wokingham Borough Council’s jurisdiction.
Mr Corden opted to instruct consultants and architects to design a replacement home, with plans duly being submitted in October 2022.
In January last year, Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the demolition of the existing house and its replacement with a two-storey five-bedroom mansion.
Since then, contractors have been on the grounds to conduct survey work.
Alan Gunne-Jones, the appointed consultant for the project of Planning & Development Associates explained: “There has been work on site surveying the ecology, trees etc but there have been very few physical changes to the site.”
Little else has been done because legal hurdles have to be cleared and planning for the demolition and construction project has to be approved before work can start.
Mr Gunne-Jones said: “Although the committee made a decision a year ago, the planning permission was actually issued in August to fulfil the requirement for a Section 106 agreement to be made.”
A S106 is a legal agreement between a developer and the council which involves the developer providing monetary contributions to the council to invest in infrastructure and services.
While Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee approved the project on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, the official approval was issued seven months later on Wednesday, August 11, 2023.
The planning process was not all plain sailing either, as concerns were raised about the location of a proposed replacement pool house.
The existing house comes with a detached pool house with a semi-circular roof, with Mr Corden’s agents applying to replace it with a two-storey pool building.
However, the pool house was removed from the application after objections from English Heritage, which voiced concerns over its proximity and impact on a druidic circle in the grounds which is a listed monument.
The stones were brought to the grounds from Jersey by the island’s governor Field Marshal Conway.
A fresh plan for a pool house is set to be submitted soon.
Mr Gunne-Jones said: “A new plan for the pool house will be submitted in the next month or so.”
In the meantime, Mr Corden’s agents Atlantic Swiss Agency have submitted a construction environment management plan, woodland and tree management plan and more reports that were conditions of the project being approved.
You can view these plans and reports by typing reference 233102 into Wokingham Borough Council’s planning portal.
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