Residents in the north Cornwall enclave of Rock have expressed mixed emotions as work on Gordon Ramsay&apos;s mega holiday mansion gets underway.
The Hell’s Kitchen star is currently building two homes on the site of a now-demolished 1920s five-bedroom property which he bought for £4.4 million in 2015.
At the time it was the second most expensive sale ever recorded in Cornwall. But estate agents said the property needed modernising and in July 2016 Ramsay, 51, won an eight-month battle to bulldoze the home.
The TV chef was granted planning permission by Cornwall Council to replace it with a main house and a smaller second property, which will be known as ‘The Garden House’.
Workers from Morcom Construction are currently laying the foundations for the new property on the 0.5-acre site, which slopes downward from Rock Road to Porthilly Beach.
The new main house will be located just off Rock Road and boast two kitchens, a swimming pool, a wine cellar and four en-suite bathrooms.
Nearly 20 people wrote to Cornwall Council to complain that the garden house, about 25 metres from the shore, would spoil the designated area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and damage other residents’ view.
Andrew and Anne Nisbet, who own the adjoining property, said Ramsay made “no effort” to consult with local residents.
The Nisbets don’t object to the main build but have concerns over the garden house.
“I tried to make contact in the hope of discussing our concerns,” Mr Nisbet said. “I didn’t receive a reply and there hasn’t been any effort to consult with local residents.
Neighbour Gerard Manley also said he did not have a problem with the main house but believed the garden house will establish a “dangerous precedent”.
However another neighbour, who did wish to be named, supported Ramsay’s project.
A worker in the village’s Texaco garage added that objectors simply did so because of the name and that several old houses along Rock Road have already been demolished.
Councillors gave the application the thumbs up on the basis that other properties were not overlooked.