Oxford News
David and Victoria Beckham win battle over Love Island plans
The celebrity couple were granted planning permission back in 2020 for a kidney-shaped pond in the sprawling gardens of their Cotswold mansion.
But the green light was only given with extremely specific conditions to ensure it would “sit well within its rural context.”
Concern had previously been raised that the Beckhams had overstepped the planning consent when the pond and a ‘private beach’ appeared in a Netflix documentary.
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A fresh planning application has now been approved to satisfy two conditions laid out when the Beckhams were later granted permission for the “enlargement of approved pond and inclusion of an island”.
The Beckhams, who have previously been accused of ‘drip-feeding’ applications, are now seeking additional planning permission to build an extra section of driveway within their garden.
They want to link their driveway to a recently approved new access road from Ledwell Lane that was built to avoid having to use a single-lane cul-de-sac described as the sole access to Soho Farmhouse.
The couple were told that before the site comes into use, details of external lighting must be submitted and approved in writing by the local planning authority.
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They had to show the type and location of the lighting so it could be “clearly demonstrated that light spillage into wildlife corridors will be minimised as much as possible.”
The council said: “Under no circumstances should any other external lighting be installed without prior consent from the local planning authority.”
This was to “protect foraging and commuting bats” the report added.
The second condition the Beckhams have now been given permission to discharge is the requirement to submit a comprehensive landscape scheme.
The council added: “The scheme must show details of all planting areas, tree and plant species, numbers and planting sizes.
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“The proposed means of enclosure and screening should also be included, together with details of any mounding, walls and fences and hard surface materials to be used throughout the proposed development.”
As part of the freshly approved application, Portus + Whitton set out a framework for maintenance of the site for a five year period.
Images produced by the Beckhams also showed the type of lighting and the location of trees that are planned by them.
A decision on the application was made by West Oxfordshire Council earlier this month.
The Beckhams have previously submitted multiple applications for work at their Grade-II listed country house.
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Since buying the three listed barns for £6,150,000 in 2016, the couple have added a new driveway and gates, an additional garage outbuilding, a tennis court, a treehouse, a security hut, an extension to the garage outbuilding and a landscaped pond.
One angry neighbour said earlier he “wouldn’t be surprised if the celebrity couple applied for a funfair ride to be installed in the garden”.
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The Beckhams also want to replace a short section of temporary construction track from the boundary of their garden to the machinery store.
When the access lane to Ledwell Lane was approved, the couple angered neighbours over plans to build a new access road to their Cotswolds home to try to avoid traffic heading to Soho Farmhouse.
The celebrity pair have applied for planning permission to turn an agricultural track into a tarmac-laid access for their Maplewood Barn home.
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They have applied to West Oxfordshire District Council for a change of use of part of the existing agricultural track to form a secondary residential access.
The couple want to extend the track to connect to their existing driveway and improve the existing dropped kerb access and gates onto Ledwell Lane.
The Beckhams said previously through a representative: “Ledwell Lane is a two-way rural road operating within capacity with a benign collision record; Tracey Lane is a single-track cul-de-sac serving residential properties, Great Tew Estate land and the only visitor access to Soho Farmhouse, experiencing high traffic and frequent conflicts and delays at peak periods.”
But the bid was met with criticism from neighbours, and one wrote in an objection: “The house already has a perfectly serviceable access road, so why is another stretch of tarmac laid through the woods deemed a good idea.
A decision on the new driveway access will be made by West Oxfordshire District Council at a later date.
On Wednesday, September 2, it was the Concours judging and private viewings to dominate the agenda for the day.
Twelve Concours classes were held across almost a century of motoring, including The Golden Age of Motoring, 100 Years of Carrrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and Passione Ferrari.
Two new classes also made their debut for 2026, Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven, which recognise the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market.
Judging will take place across Wednesday and Thursday, with the show field bringing together a 70-strong collection of classics, supercars and hypercars from around the world.
Some of the cars include Aa Maserati 8C 3000, Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a one-off Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale, a very early Porsche 356 Split Window Coupé, Aston Martin DB3S, Lamborghini Miura P400S, Bizzarrini 5300GT, Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, Bugatti EB110 Prototype, Aston Martin Valiant Prototype and the extraordinary Bugatti Bolide, one of just 40 produced worldwide.
Helen Pike has decided to step down as Master of Magdalen College School at the end of the 2026/27 academic year, the school in east Oxford announced in March.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
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The new academic year will start next week, with Ms Pike preparing for one more year in charge before she hands over to her successor, who will take over in September 2027.
The first female Master at MCS, Ms Pike guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history, to become fully co-educational from 2027.
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school last month announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
Ms Pike said earlier: “I love MCS, and it is a perennial privilege to lead this remarkable school.
“Being Master of MCS is a brilliant job, and I am declaring my intention early in order to give MCS the very best opportunity to find the right Master for September 2027. I shall continue to do all in my power to further the fortunes of this wonderful school until then.
“I look forward to a new phase in my own professional life, one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years.
“Having encouraged many cohorts of pupils to take sensible risks and to do something creative and different when the time feels right, I am doing just that.”
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a Top 20 Independent School and South East School of the Year by the Sunday Times and won Independent School of the Year for Social Mobility.
Thanking her in his letter to the school community, chair of governors, Bob Price, said earlier this year: “Helen is an outstanding leader and will go with our sincere gratitude and warm thanks for her exceptional headship.
“She will leave the school in excellent shape for her successor.”
Recruitment for a replacement for Ms Pike is now under way.
Last month, Ms Pike congratulated pupils on their “outstanding success” in this year’s A-Level exams, after more than a quarter of pupils (43) achieved three A*s or more and 25 secured all A*s.
In total, 39 pupils from the 2026 cohort are heading to Oxbridge, while 22 have secured places to study medicine.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new Science, Library and Partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
She added earlier: “With a vision to create a sector-leading science building in the centre of Oxford, the development will enable us to support an ambitious and forward-looking science curriculum, expanding to the emerging and rapidly advancing areas of robotics, AI and Big Data.”
Holding banners which read ‘For f**k’s sake, just stop oil’, the demonstrators took to the road in Parliament Square at noon today (Wednesday, September 2).
This was as Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions, and many of the protestors glued themselves to the road.
The group demanded that the UK government stop approving all further oil and gas developments, and sign a Fossil Fuel Treaty to stop oil and gas extraction.
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Just Stop Oil say that the police are expected to arrest all those blocking the road, and that one lane has been left free of glued-on action takers to permit access for emergency vehicles.
Andy Burnham is due to make a decision on whether to allow more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Reverend James Crote, a Baptist Minister and grandfather from Chesterton near Bicester, said: “Today is my grandson’s first birthday. I have to take action for the sake of his future.
The 69-year-old added: “The government has been dilly-dallying about whether to say yes or no to the Rosebank oil field but, if we want a future for our children, there is no choice – it has to say ‘no’.
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“I am here as a Christian Minister because the Church has to speak out and demand that the government stops approving further oil and gas developments now. It’s time for us all to say ‘For God’s sake, Just Stop Oil’.”
Data from the Met Office indicates that 2026 was the hottest summer in UK recorded history, beating 2025, which was the previous hottest summer on record.
2026 was also one of the driest summers on record, delivering record-low food harvests.
Climbing temperatures have triggered wildfires across the country, and national fire chiefs said the wildfire risk facing the UK is “like nothing we have seen before”.
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Taking action, grandmother Victoria Ann Lynch-Staunton from Leamington Spa, said: “What is happening is beyond a tragedy.”
The 71-year-old added: “I beg everyone to join Just Stop Oil or governments will continue to prioritise endless growth and corporate profit over billions of lives – yours and your children.
“Wake up and smell the coffin. It is the responsibility of all of us to act now!”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today: “We are all Just Stop Oil.
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“Every single person who fears deadly wildfires, devastating droughts, and spiralling food shortages is Just Stop Oil.
“The first duty of government is to keep the public safe – but by greenlighting oil and gas drilling, they endanger our survival while corporates and billionaires laugh their way to the bank.
“Every one of us feels alone and powerless in the face of this insanity, but we know there is massive political and public support for our demand.
“So we’re inviting everyone to join us at an online call on 3rd October 2026 – because it’s when we work together that we are powerful and win.”
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