Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner have had their application for a pair of new palatial gates at their Grade II-listed mansion rejected because they are too tall.
The Spice Girl, 52, and F1 Red Bull boss, 51, wanted to shift their current boundary back from the road and install stone posts on either side, replacing the current timber set-up.
But planners rejected their plans as the 10ft tall proposals were 3ft higher than the current gate.
The high-flying pair said the move at their 18th century Northamptonshire pad was to provide a ‘waiting bay’ in the recessed entry for agricultural land – which they hoped would have helped with safety for larger agricultural and equestrian vehicles.
The blueprints for the new design showed the couple wanted to replace the current wooden gate posts with cut stone piers, complete with iron finials. The wall leading to the gates were planned to be cut ironstone and the gates made of oak.
Refusing the new gate, Forrest Childs, planning case officer for West Northamptonshire Council, said: ‘The height of the proposed development reaches 3.1m, which exceeds the height of the existing gate which sits at 2.3m.
‘The proposed gate fails to comply with criteria of Class A of Part 2 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning Order 2015 owing to the height of the proposed gate exceeding the former height, and therefore a certificate of lawfulness should not be issued.’
Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner attend the F1 75 Live at The O2 Arena in London — February 18, 2025
The Horners pictured at Warwick Racecourse on January 20, 2025, where their horse Lift Me Up galloped on resolutely to pocket the £2,053.20 prize at the Hunters’ Chase
They applied to shift their current boundary back from the road and install stone posts on either side, replacing the current timber set-up
It comes after the Horners sparked fury among their rural community when they embarked on a planning war to replace their 18th century kitchen garden with an open-air swimming pool.
Previous recent requests to West Northamptonshire Council have included demolition and replacement of a glasshouse, the building of a new barn, and a first floor extension to their home’s west wing.
Plans for the pool caused a particular stir due to its proximity to the local graveyard – with some neighbours saying they worried funerals could be interrupted by ‘screaming, shouting and splashing’.
It came just ten years after Christian applied to build a different swimming pool in a barn across the road from their luxury pad. He confirmed that it had been built in an interview with Luxury London in 2019, where he said he was trying to get it ready in time for the British Grand Prix.
The mansion already has five bedrooms, with one each for the couple and the three children they have between them, as well as a spare bedroom.
It also has an indoor pool inside a barn and a fully-equipped gym.
But they also wanted to look at access routes to their home and decided to add new gates and a recessed entrance to an opening to their agricultural land, making it safer for large vehicles to wait while the gates are opened.
In May 2023 the couple had their first horse-racing win, with a steed named after the Spice Girls‘ 1999 No 1 single – Two Become Won.
And over the last year they have gone from success to success – Lift Me Up, again named after one of the pop star’s songs, galloped on resolutely to pocket the £2,053.20 prize at the Hunters’ Chase in January.
Architect Stephen Broadley, acting on their behalf, said: ‘We propose to replace the existing timber gates for an existing vehicle access.
‘The new gates will be recessed further back from the road to provide a waiting bay for vehicles at the gate.
The Spice Girl, 52, and F1 Red Bull boss, 51, wanted to shift their current boundary back from the road and install stone posts on either side, replacing the current timber set-up
The mansion already has five bedrooms, with one each for the couple and the three children they have between them, alongside a spare bedroom. Pictured: The couple at their home on Drive to Survive
The Horners name their horses after Geri’s old tunes – with one dubbed Two Become Won after the Spice Girls hit and another Lift Me Up after her solo single
Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell walk in the Paddock holding hands prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain — March, 2024
‘The new oak gates will be hung from two new cut stone piers with finials, of approximately the same height as the existing piers, excluding the finials.
‘The access will be connected to the main road via replaced hard-standing, with a rumble strip laid under the new gates.
‘The new gates are being replaced on agricultural land, which remains designated as agricultural.
‘Since the gates are not being introduced for the first time but are merely a replacement of the existing gates, this is not considered a change of use or a new development.’
