David and Victoria Beckham are once again in hot water with their Cotswolds neighbours — this time over plans to build a new private access road to their £12 million estate, allowing them to dodge the celebrity crowds heading to nearby Soho Farmhouse.
The couple, who already face scrutiny over multiple developments on their lavish property, have now applied for planning permission to convert an old agricultural track into a tarmacked driveway leading straight to their Maplewood Barn home. The move would mean they no longer have to share the single-lane cul-de-sac with the hundreds of Soho Farmhouse members and influencers who frequent the exclusive £250-a-month country retreat.
According to their planning documents submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council, the Beckhams argue that their current access on Tracey Lane is “unsafe” and “overly busy” due to traffic from the popular club. But neighbours are furious. Local resident Joan Lane blasted the proposal, saying: “The house already has a perfectly good access road — why on earth would another stretch of tarmac through the woods be a good idea? Ramblers should be left undisturbed by giant SUVs lumbering up and down.”
A representative for the couple insisted the project is a “modest, sensitively designed conversion” meant to “upgrade the existing crossover and gates at Ledwell Lane for safe residential use,” while keeping the site’s “low-key agricultural character.” The rep added that lighting would be “minimal” to preserve the rural landscape.
This latest row follows years of friction between the Beckhams and locals, with the famous pair previously accused of “drip-feeding” development plans to transform their once-rustic barn estate into a full-scale country compound. Since buying the property for £6.15 million in 2016, they’ve added a tennis court, treehouse, super-garage, lake, and even a controversial “private beach” that reportedly sparked a council investigation after featuring in their Netflix documentary.
One neighbour told local media: “It’s totally out of character for the area. People here are getting increasingly frustrated with the way the Beckhams bend the rules.”
For now, the council is reviewing the proposal — but if history is any guide, the battle between Britain’s most famous couple and their countryside neighbours is far from over.