BECKHAMS WIN CONSENT FOR ISLAND PROJECT - SO LONG AS THEY GIVE NATURE A SPORTING CHANCE

                                                               

All that's missing is the binoculars - the Beckhams have a taste for country life (photo: Instagram) 

A-LIST celebrity couple David and Victoria Beckham have been granted consent to create an island within the lake they are currently having excavated in the gardens of their home near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire.

But council planners imposed various conditions including a stipulation that "the scheme shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following biodiversity enhancements" either on the site or nearby:

* The creation of a native vegetation on the margins of the water

* The planting and infilling of hedgerows, using native species

* The retention and enhancement of a wildflower meadow

* The creation of bunds, planted with native shrubs and trees

* A five-year maintenance plan

A further condition is that, to safeguards birds and other wildlife from disturbance,  the island should only be accessed by rowing boat or some other non-motorised means.

The couple have other homes in London and elsewhere, but they have spent an increasing amount of time at their rural retreat in Oxfordshire during lockdown.