A grand new estate house will come to Blenheim Park after a duke suggested the existing palace did not offer him enough privacy.
Councillors at a West Oxfordshire District council planning meeting on Monday granted permission for the home at Furze Platt which will cover 1.79 hectares of land at the park in Woodstock near Blenheim Palace.
There were no objections from consultees to the proposal which planning agent Martin Leay described as a "rarity" owing to a "three-year process of careful evolution of the design" and "long period of consultation".
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Speaking out at the meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor David Jackson said: "When I first looked at this I thought 'oh it's alright for some'.
"They can just stick a house in there.
"When I got my brain in check I realised I was being a bit silly.
"Obviously the need has been established.
"I can't see how we can start saying this isn't appropriate for this planning site (given no heritage objections had been raised)."
The new estate will be built on former farmstead and woodland and will coincide with the conversion of the existing barn and outbuildings for ancillary use and the addition of new access routes to the outdoor pool.
Proposed materials for the building are natural limestone for the walls and Cardinal Stonesfield slates for the roof with timber forming the windows.
An applicant planning paper says: "The proposals would also allow the heir to the dukedom to live within the park.
"While the 11th duke lived in the Palace, his successor and their heirs wish for more privacy and a more informal home.
"Consequently both the current duke and his heir (the marquess of Blandford) currently live off-site.
"There are no suitable and readily available properties for the marquess within the park and Furze Platt has been identified through pre-application work as the most appropriate site within the park in heritage terms for a new dwelling for this purpose."
Green councillor Genny Early asked what proportion of the year the family would be expected to be in the estate and a planning officer said there was no restriction on how long they can or cannot be in residence.
Blenheim Park is a 224.3-hectare biological site of special scientific interest that is said to have some of the best areas of pasture and oak woodland in the country.
Blenheim Palace is a country house and the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough which was originally called Blenheim Castle and is notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill.
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About the author
Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county.
She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.
Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi
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