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BBC boss fights plans for 'suburban' homes near his £4m Oxfordshire farmhouse


BBC boss fights plans for 'suburban' homes near his £4m Oxfordshire farmhouse

The BBC director-general has been battling against a planning development next to his multi-million pound rural family home, saying that it will create a more "suburban feel".

Tim Davie and his wife wrote an objection to a planning application to build two new homes just yards away from their farmhouse in the Oxfordshire countryside.

The £4 million property is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Beauty and boasts a barn, milking parlour and stables, according to the Mail on Sunday.

He wrote in his objection to the council: "This is a quiet, small country lane already facing increased traffic, significant road damage and ongoing flooding. This new proposal goes much further to create a more suburban feel in the village."

The objection comes despite Mr Davie previously suggesting in a 2015 lecture that "base wiring is ... suburban Britain".

A previous application to build a five-bedroom house just yards away from Mr Davie's home was accepted but a separate application to turn the development into two homes was rejected.

Builders Bentier are appealing the decision while also putting in a new planning application to enlarge the previously approved single home development, which has now been accepted by the council.

Mr Davie earns £525,000 a year, reportedly making him the highest paid BBC executive. Star presenters at the corporation can earn much higher. Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker receives £1.35 million, while Radio 2 host Zoe Ball makes £950,000.

Mr Davie grew up in Croydon, on the outskirts of London. He and his wife brought up their children in the farmhouse, which they have owned for around 20 years. The property is in the Chilterns, an area of outstanding beauty with green hills rolling for miles.

Mr Davie and his wife told the council that the new proposed houses would look directly into their garden which would lead to "a significant loss of our privacy".

"We have been supportive of developing the village, but another executive house of this size in this location is a major change", the couple said.

"The original planning permission was already building on untouched land. This proposal pushes this further and fundamentally changes the character of the area."

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