Paul Hollywood's Ambitious Farmhouse Kitchen Revamp for New TV Shows

Paul Hollywood aims to transform home cooking into a profitable venture by recording television cooking shows from a newly built kitchen annex in his old farmhouse.

The judge from The Bake Off has submitted an application for listed building consent to tear down a deteriorating conservatory with plans to replace it with a larger open-plan kitchen-dining area at their countryside getaway.

The planning documents refer to him as 'an acclaimed TV personality and celebrity chef,' indicating that his suggested 21-foot by 16-foot kitchen would provide ample room for filming him cooking dishes featured in 'documentary' series.

Hollywood, aged 59, aims to swap his current compact and 'constrictive' kitchen with a new one because the present space is inadequate for filming within his partially timber-framed home, constructed in the 17th century.

He contends that filming television shows within his Grade Two listed property would serve as a 'public social good,' which should assist him in obtaining approval for the proposed one-story expansion.

Hollywood and his second wife Melissa, 41, who married in Cyprus in September 2023 have jointly submitted the application to build the new room at their home near Ashford, Kent.

They have also applied to construct a log store and a walled kitchen garden with pleached fruit trees and raised beds in between pathways to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

Their plans also involve turning their old kitchen into a study, making a dining room into a new sitting room, creating a family room out of the existing sitting room and replacing four Crittall-style windows with more traditional timber alternatives.

Last year, Hollywood attempted two times to construct a flat-roofed addition above his residence, situated across eight acres in what’s known as the Garden of England. He purchased this property back in 2019 for £875,000.

However, he withdrew both suggestions following the disapproval expressed by Ashford Borough Council officials, who characterized the proposals as being 'at odds with the historical layouts and character of the host structure'.

He and his spouse reconsidered and created updated plans differing from the previous ones since the expansion will now feature a separate section connected to the primary part of his home via a connecting pathway.

This new addition will provide an additional 23 square metres of floor space over the current 1980s-era conservatory, which has been deemed structurally unsafe, lacking historical significance, and requiring removal.

The plans indicate that the kitchen-diner, built using Flemish bond bricks and Kent peg roof tiles, will feature a central island along with three pairs of double doors leading out to the patio and garden, allowing plenty of natural light to enter.

The report from the couple's representative at Lander Planning suggests that the proposed addition will function as an independent unit relative to the primary residence and will have a visual design and scale that is fitting, thereby not compromising the structural integrity of the historically significant property.

The planning document states: "This suggested expansion is required for impromptu filming sessions for the homeowner, Paul Hollywood, who is a renowned television figure and celebrated chef."

'The existing kitchen is not large and is too narrow for filming purposes - the cameras cannot be set up adequately to obtain the required shots.

The suggested kitchen, conversely, will offer an appropriate area for such activities. This space will allow for the production of a distinctive documentary featuring Paul Hollywood preparing meals at home.

This would offer an interactive and improved experience for spectators as the chef remains in his comfortable surroundings.

To sum up, the suggested expansion has shown to be essential to comply with contemporary standards for a bigger four-bedroom home. Additionally, this extension will cater to sporadic documentary film shoots for the applicant, who is both a television personality and a renowned chef.

These elements represent significant aspects that ought to be given substantial importance when deciding on the application.

The report adds: 'The public benefits of the proposal are that it will provide a kitchen space that is befitting of a property of this size, securing the property's future marketability and thus viability.

'The use of the space for TV cookery shows is a unique factor which would be of social benefit to the public.'

The document further states that the updated 'open kitchen and dining area' will feature 'significantly more lighting compared to the present setup' and represents 'a natural progression within the existing structure.'

It states: "The current kitchen fails to meet requirements, as it is a small gallery-like space featuring a tight pathway between two parallel work surfaces."

The kitchen spans just 2.5 meters deep, offering minimal workspace and storage options. Both the dimensions and design of the kitchen fall short of contemporary requirements.

The limitations imposed on the property listing make it impossible to create an appropriate kitchen-dining area within the main house without compromising the historical integrity of the structure, as doing so would require tearing down interior walls.

Hollywood’s residence already includes stables, an orchard, a paddock, a shepherd’s corner, and a chicken coop.

In December 2019, the television celebrity received approval for constructing a new garage meant for expanding their assortment of vehicles including automobiles and motorcycles.

However, he was denied approval for a 40-foot by 26-foot steel-framed storage structure in October 2021 because it was considered 'detrimental to the appearance' of the surroundings of the listed property.

The representative from Hollywood mentions several homes close to where he lives that have received approvals for expansions.

The host who has served as a judge on The Great British Bake Off since its inception in 2010 also had an architectural consultant specializing in historic building preservation design a heritage-compliant statement for him. This designer referred to his project as a 'harmonious enhancement' of his residence.

Ashford Council is expected to make a decision on the plans next month and has so far received no objections from neighbours.

But the local parish council called for Hollywood's plans to be overseen by the district council's listed building team.

It added in a statement: 'We would like to understand the commercial use and what the social benefit is to the parish.

The applicant mentions conducting film shoots inside the premises; however, the extent of these shootings isn’t specified. We raise no concerns regarding the submitted layouts.

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