Vernon Kay is fighting to block what he claims to be an illegal bungalow being built to house workers near the Buckinghamshire mansion he shares with wife Tess Daly.
The Family Fortunes presenter, 46, has been complaining for several years that illegal dwellings are being built at the end of their exclusive country lane at their six bedroom home they share with daughters Phoebe and Amber.
He is now leading the fight to block one of the bungalows being certified as legal by Buckinghamshire Council.
I’m A Celebrity runner-up Vernon Kay and wife Tess Daly ran into a volley of objections from neighbours when they tried to build their dream country house
The two bedroom home was built in 2014 without planning permission to house the manager of a local fencing store and his family.
The build is 250 metres away from Tess, 52 and Vernon’s home, which the TV couple bought for £1.2m.
Last year, the bungalow’s owners Timberstone Ltd applied for a retrospective certificate of lawfulness so that the house would be legally recognised, but the council rejected it.
An appeal has since been lodged with the Planning Inspectorate.
At the time, the I’m a Celebrity star objected, noting his and his neighbours complaints against the development.
‘The erection of this single storey dwelling has been contested by the residents since it was first built several years ago’, he said.
The couple and their two daughters live in the six-bedroom house in Buckinghamshire
‘The local planning department told the residents that they were not able to communicate with the resident or owner of the land to pursue the complaint from the residents as they were unable to find such a person associated with the land in question.
‘Since the initial complaint and investigation from the local planning department, more single storey dwellings have been erected on land adjacent which are also used for residential purposes.
‘The development is also on the Green Belt and should not be permitted. It is in the best interest of the council to use this application to now pursue the complaints further from the residents.
The illegal dwelling is 250 metres away from Tess and Vernon’s Buckinghamshire mansion
Locals say they have opposed the home since it was built in 2014
Last year, the bungalow’s owners Timberstone Ltd applied for a retrospective certificate of lawfulness so that the house would be legally recognised, but the council rejected it
The two bedroom home was built without planning permission to house the manager of a local fencing store and his family. Pictured a layout of the illegal dwelling
‘We understand this is a retrospective planning application but, since the council were not able to pursue the complaints from the residents four years ago, this application should be refused.’
Neighbours have echoed the TV stars’ complaints, and want the families living there to be evicted.
One neighbour, Martin Gardener, said: ‘The proposed development is an unnecessary intrusion into the local countryside and an attempt by developers to get a foot-in-the-door in this area.
‘We already have people living illegally on the site to the south of the proposal.
‘The council needs to evict from the adjacent site and enforce the fact that neither of these plots have residential permission.’
An aerial image shows where the house has been built
The couple are fighting with local residents to ensure the build is not legally recognised
Another, Manjit Bhambra, added: ‘As residents we have complained about use of this plot for the last few years.
‘As a result of this building the owner has decided to erect another two buildings adjacent as no one takes a stand.’
The appeal process has begun, but ex T4 host Vernon appears to still be leading local residents in their fight, with many copying him in to emails to the council objecting the site.
They won’t find out until July at the earliest if they have won the battle or not. In the meantime, the bungalow has been handed down an enforcement notice.
It’s not the only planning issue that the celebrity couple have found themselves in recently.
The pair, who wed in 2003, purchased another property nearby which they planned to tear down and replace with a more modern and energy efficient home.
The couple paid more than £1.5m for a property nearby and applied for permission to demolish it in favour of a more efficient home, but neighbours objections scrapped their plans
But, protests from neighbours forced them to cancel the project on the £1.5m home.
They recently sold the property for £1.7m, making a £200,000 profit.
The couple have also recently pulled out from buying a £4m mansion in Denham, Buckinghamshire because of helicopter noise from a 100-year-old airfield nearby.