Singer Rita Ora may have touted her green credentials in the past, but I can reveal her neighbours are furious over her plans to build a gargantuan gym in the sunken garden of her £7.5million house.
The singer, 34, who bought the Grade II listed property in Primrose Hill, North London, four years ago, hopes to rip up outdoor features that have been in place for nearly 150 years.
But neighbours have lodged angry objections, branding the scheme an eyesore, and accusing Rita, right, of being a hypocrite by threatening a delicate natural habitat.
Their letter to Camden Council reads: ‘Ironically, the current owner has gone on record to say they wanted to preserve and honour the heritage of this sunken garden which they say is a sanctuary for butterflies and is also a sanctuary for many birds, including robins, herons and even peacocks [that] have been sighted there over the years.
‘To destroy the natural ecology in order to build a modern gym is entirely out of keeping with the heritage and calm of this particular listed property itself.’
Awkwardly, their complaint mentions an article that Rita previously wrote for Architectural Digest magazine, in which she gushed about her garden: ‘Welcome to what I like to call my little piece of heaven… this is where the butterflies stay.
Rita Ora, 34, bought the Grade II listed property in Primrose Hill, North London, four years ago
Ora plans to build a gargantuan gym in the sunken garden of her £7.5million house
Neighbours have lodged angry objections, branding the scheme an eyesore, and accusing Rita, right, of being a hypocrite by threatening a delicate natural habitat
‘I didn’t want to put too much electrical stuff in this part because I really felt like the whole point of this sunken bit of garden is to be a garden.’
But her neighbours warn the gym building will shatter the peace and may cause sound and light disturbances.
It’s not Rita’s first noise row either – the Hot Right Now singer clashed with locals at two previous London mansions. A spokesman for the star declined to comment.
Dating Romeo isn’t Kim’s style
DJ Kim Turnbull (pictured right) wore a flowing Victoria Beckham dress to David’s 50th birthday bash – perhaps a lifestyle remix too far
Romeo’s ex is believed to have preferred keeping her independence – and her own sense of street style
When DJ Kim Turnbull split from Romeo Beckham back in May, the reason remained something of a riddle.
Now I hear from sources close to Kim that the 24-year-old simply wasn’t keen on being part of ‘Brand Beckham’.
Kim is believed to have preferred keeping her independence – and her own sense of street style.
All those photoshoots and endless posing in flowing Victoria Beckham dresses, such as the one Kim wore when accompanying Romeo to David’s 50th birthday bash, was a lifestyle remix too far for the DJ who prefers a more casual look.
Posh in pearls?
The editors of Country Life magazine are apparently keen to feature Victoria Beckham in the famous Frontispiece known as the ‘Girls in Pearls’ page
Country Life bosses have already secured the services of Sir David Beckham to guest-edit the October issue – and now I hear they’re hoping to recruit his wife Victoria, too.
I’m told the editors are keen to feature her in the famous Frontispiece, also known as the ‘Girls in Pearls’ page, which has introduced aristocratic ladies to society.
Well, she is Posh after all…
Emma goes from grungy to Gucci
Yesterday Emma Watson was the epitome of elegance, wearing a £2,400 Gucci dress as she arrived at the Venice Film Festival
What a difference a few days make.
My spies spotted Harry Potter star Emma Watson at the rather grungy Burning Man festival in Nevada last week, letting loose in a leopard-print outfit before donning a pearl-covered ski mask to keep out the sand – a smart move given the 50mph winds that rattled the event one night.
Yesterday, however, the actress, was the epitome of elegance, wearing a £2,400 Gucci dress as she arrived at the Venice Film Festival.
Pictured: former tennis pro and TV presenter, Annabel Croft
She watched her son Charlie Coleman marry Boodles heiress Honour Wainwright last week but that’s not the only happy news for TV presenter Annabel Croft.
I can reveal that her youngest daughter, Lily Saffron Coleman, has got engaged to investment director Felix McCorquodale, a relative of Princess Diana’s stepmother, ‘Acid’ Raine McCorquodale.
‘The most wonderful news,’ says former tennis pro Annabel, who found a new army of fans when she starred in Strictly in 2023.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announced their engagement last month
Jeweller to the stars Theo Fennell isn’t dazzled by Taylor Swift’s huge engagement ring.
Holding court at his Garrison Chapel in Chelsea Barracks, the designer, 74, said of the sparkler Taylor received from NFL player Travis Kelce: ‘It’s just a stone.
‘I’m not a huge diamond person – they are what they are.
‘I love them as a highlight, but on the whole it just screams, ‘How rich are you?”
