Kate Moss has been embroiled in a planning row with her neighbour over fears their new garden room would put a strain on her Cotswolds village’s sewage crisis.
Supermodel Moss, 51, bought her countryside mansion in Little Faringdon for £2.5million in 2004.
Those living in the picturesque village have been battling a ‘no longer fit for purpose’ sewage system, which is said to be regularly ‘overwhelmed’ by the amount of surface and foul water running through it, the Environment Agency said.
As a result, Moss has blocked her neighbour’s plans for a garden room, fearing the development would pile more pressure on an already struggling sewage system.
The supermodel has objected to Mary Oakes building the outbuilding, which would feature an office, gym and bathroom.
Mrs Oakes submitted plans to West Oxfordshire District Council, proposing the building be constructed behind her house, as well as single and two storey rear extensions to the main house.
She bought the luxury property for nearly £1million in 2024, with plans to extend it.
In Moss’s objection, representatives said: ‘I have no comment regarding the proposed house extension. However, there is an objection to the proposed garden room.’
The objection added: ‘The proposed building has a bathroom. The means of foul drainage is unclear.’
The representatives also said the plans were ‘harmful to the rural character of the area’ and claimed the building was very near ‘boundary trees and hedging’, meaning ‘the root structure of existing landscaping’ could be damaged.
After viewing the objections, Mrs Oakes removed the garden room from her plans.
Little Faringdon, which contains just 30 properties, is prone to flooding, according to the Environment Agency.
Pauline Rushton and Andrew Sumner, who also live in the village, told The Telegraph: ‘The existing infrastructure is not in place for the existing village and certainly not for any expansion.’
Moss previously suffered issues with sewage in 2010 at her former north London home, after the pump in her basement is said to have failed, causing the property to flood with wastewater.
A source told the Mirror at the time: ‘Kate is absolutely gutted. Not only is her house a complete disaster zone – with mud, gunge and sewage everywhere – she is looking at a bill of around £100,000 to replace her outside deck, plus kitchen units, furniture and flooring.’
Moss has since shared how much she enjoys her life in the countryside, saying: ‘You do things you could never do in the city – sleeping outside, cooking on a fire, all of those things that, growing up in Croydon, I kind of didn’t have, you know?
‘It’s like having another childhood or being in the Famous Five.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Moss’s representatives for comment.
