Alan Titchmarsh has finally sold his £3.5million countryside retreat – just in time to escape from plans to build almost 160 homes directly behind it.
Manor Farm House in Holybourne, near Alton in Hampshire, naturally comes with four acres of delicately landscaped gardens courtesy of its most recent occupier.
But the 17th century bolthole may soon also have hundreds of new neighbours – to the outrage of those already living nearby.
About 850 objections have been made to a masterplan that could see up to 156 new homes built on land directly behind the former Titchmarsh base – in a village that is home to just 1,500 people.
Alan and Alison – who marked their 50th wedding anniversary last year – have now decamped to a £2.6million luxury five-bed retreat in Surrey they bought from Omaze winner Rachael Reid, who snapped it up with a £10 raffle ticket.
He has said of the new, single-storey luxury pad: ‘The house is wonderfully modern and completely different from the Georgian farmhouse where we were before.’
The 77-year-old broadcast legend has previously revealed he was downsizing because he is ‘knocking on a bit’ and wanted to move somewhere with a smaller garden before it became ‘overwhelming’ to look after the four acres in Hants.
His new home is also closer to his daughters Polly and Camilla – and his grandsons and granddaughters.
Manor Farm House in Holybourne boasts four acres of gardens – and was originally listed for £3.95million
Alan Titchmarsh and his wife Alison have finally found a buyer for their £3.5million country retreat in Hampshire after putting it on the market in September
Broadcast legend Alan has insisted his decision to leave was nothing to do with plans to build 160 homes in fields immediately behind his house (pictured: the zone where homes could go)
Titchmarsh said he was conscious of his age and doesn’t want the large grounds – pictured – to become ‘overwhelming
But Alan has also insisted the sale is nothing to do with the row over the 15.6 hectares of land that could soon host scores of homes just behind his former house – despite putting the house up for sale just weeks after the plans came to light.
Developers Redbrown submitted its proposals for the land – earmarked by East Hampshire District Council planners as a prime spot for new homes – last July. Manor House Farm then hit the market in September.
The sale price hasn’t been declared, but greenfingered British icon Alan and his wife Alison had to knock almost half a million pounds off of the original £3.95m asking price before they were able to find a buyer.
Sources close to the star have confirmed that the sale has gone through and Alan is ‘very happy’ in his new home.
The 7,930 sq ft Grade II listed Georgian five-bed had been sympathetically renovated by the Titchmarshes since buying it for £1.2million in 2002.
Approached by the Daily Mail last year, Alan said the housing development proposals had ‘nothing to do with our decision to move’.
He said in December: ‘We are simply downsizing and moving to be closer to our two daughters and our grandchildren who live a few miles away.
‘Tempting as it might be to suggest that the proposed development (which may or may not come to fruition) has influenced our decision is completely wide of the mark.
‘The village will remain a delightful place to live, with or without additional housing which will not impinge on the enjoyment or convenience of where we live at present.’
The site has been earmarked by local council bosses in the local development plan as being suitable for more than 200 homes that could meet unmet demand for housing.
But residents of Holybourne – population 1,500 – are concerned that their tranquil village lives are about to be upended.
As well as the extra homes, the development will feature gardens and play areas and, according to Redbrown’s own analysis, add an extra 700 car journeys to local roads each day – all coming from a single access road in the estate.
A view of the stunning gardens at Titchmarsh’s Grade II listed former farmhouse near Alton
The Titchmarshes have since bought the £2.6million house won by childcare worker Rachael Reid (pictured) in an Omaze prize draw
Some 38 comments have been received in support of the plans, largely for its plans to be made up of 40 per cent affordable housing – but they are crowded out by some 500 objections from locals over flooding, loss of parking, and traffic concerns.
There are also fears that priceless Roman artifacts once belonging to the ancient town of Vindomi could be forever lost beneath the land; pottery and coins have been found nearby since the 1930s.
Despite Alan’s insistence that the development played no part in his decision to leave, his former neighbours appear to suggest differently.
One neighbour told the Mail last year: ‘I’m sure anything like that is going to make you think, if someone’s going to build in the back of your house.’
And one objection to the proposals raged: ‘Even (redacted) knew when it was time to quit. The village does not want it… the catastrophic effect on the nature and structure of the village is self evident for all of us who can see.’
The name in the objection was redacted by council officials.
Writing in BBC Gardener’s World last year, Alan said he had ‘no plans to move’ and that leaving behind a garden he had put more than 20 years into had been ‘a wrench’.
‘Looking after four acres and a Grade II-listed house has been – and still is – a treat beyond measure, but the day will come when it starts to be overwhelming and I’d rather move on to fresh pastures before that becomes the case,’ he said.
‘Whoever takes on my garden will want to do their own thing – and they must.
‘They must make of this piece of Hampshire earth a sanctuary that fulfils their needs and – hopefully – that of the wildlife that has made home in our organically run haven.’
Consultation on the plans continues until June 21.
