A man who has repeatedly objected to David and Victoria Beckham’s plans for their luxury Cotswolds estate has been revealed to be living more than 9,000 miles away in Australia.
James Worthington has lodged a string of complaints against planning applications linked to the Beckhams’ Grade II-listed home, accusing the celebrity couple of turning the countryside into ‘Miami or Florida’ with ‘suburbia-style’ features.
But despite presenting himself as a concerned local resident, Worthington admitted in one objection letter that he had been ‘working away from the UK since 2019’, while giving an address in Perth, Western Australia, according to The Times.
The Beckhams have submitted a series of applications for additions to their sprawling countryside retreat, in Great Tew, Oxfordshire, including LED lighting around a man-made lake at the property known as Maplewood Barn.
In objection letters sent to West Oxfordshire District Council in 2023 and 2026, Worthington accused the couple of damaging the rural character of the village and ‘drip-feeding’ planning applications instead of presenting a long-term vision for the estate.
In one complaint he wrote: ‘What is proposed is more akin to Miami or Florida NOT GREAT TEW.’
A man who has repeatedly objected to David and Victoria Beckham’s plans for their luxury Cotswolds estate has been revealed to be living more than 9,000 miles away in Australia
Aerial view of The Home David and Victoria Beckham in Great Tew
He also questioned plans for lighting around the lake, adding: ‘Spotlights, is this really Great Tew or have I mistaken this area for Blackpool?’
However, locals in the tiny village of around 160 residents said they had never heard of him.
John Mitchinson, chairman of Great Tew’s parish meetings, told the newspaper: ‘Mr Worthington is a mystery to all of us.
‘We have never heard of him and as far as we know he does not live in Great Tew.’
Another resident, Richard Davis, 80, who has lived in the village for six decades, said: ‘This Mr Worthington character is definitely not a villager, I can guarantee that.’
Worthington also criticised the Beckhams’ attempts to create what they described as a ‘classic English meadow scene’ on the estate.
Referencing famed landscape gardener Capability Brown, he claimed the design was anything but traditional English countryside, pointing to features including a football pitch, outdoor pool and sauna.
The Beckhams, who bought the estate in 2016, have previously said proposed lighting around the pond would enhance the setting while complying with ecological safeguards.
The couple also keep chickens and bees at the property, which has become a private retreat amid an ongoing family rift involving their eldest son Brooklyn Beckham.
Earlier this year, the Beckhams won a separate planning dispute over a new driveway at the estate, allowing them to avoid sharing access routes with visitors heading to neighbouring Soho Farmhouse.
Worthington could not be reached for comment.
West Oxfordshire District Council and representatives for the Beckhams were approached for comment.
