Kate Winslet is facing a fresh battle with environmentalists over fresh plans for a 500ft sea wall to stop her her £4.1million beachside home from being sunk by the sea.
The Oscar-winning actress, 42, originally wanted to install a 170m (558m) boulder and gravel barrier to guard her 17th century, eight-bedroom coastal property from flooding back in 2015.
But she later backed down and caved into Natural England who feared the defence would threaten protected birds nesting on the specially designated nature site which is home to geese, ducks, herons, terns, cormorants and egrets.
Government advisers Natural England were backed by a local conservation body who said the plans would threaten habitats that rare species depend on.
Now, two years on, multi-BAFTA winner Winslet has submitted revised plans for a 150m (492ft) timber sea defence on the foreshore of her Grade II listed home in West Sussex.
Kate Winslet has proposed a shorter wall to protect her coastal property but is facing a battle with environmentalists
Winslet wants to build a sea wall along the West Sussex coast to protect her £4.1million beach house (pictured, the public footpath that runs along the bottom of the estate by the seashore)
According to property website Zoopla, Winslet paid £3.2million for the pad four years ago but it is now worth £4.1million after a basement swimming pool, poll house and garage was added. It already boasts a media room and ‘butlers pantry’.
She lives there with her husband, Richard Branson’s nephew Ned Rocknroll, and her three children.
Kate shares the West Sussex property with her husband Ned Rocknroll who is the nephew of Richard Branson
Her planning agent John Blamire said: ‘This method of construction has been proposed because the structure fits the required scale to lie between the designated mean high water mark and bottom of the earth bank without encroaching.
‘Other forms of sea defence would be in our opinion less sympathetic than the use of the proposed weathered oak boards, as the area is characterised by a wooded oak shoreline and natural foreshore.
‘Although the primary function of the proposed works is to provide a new sea defence structure to the homeowner, this project will secure the future maintenance and use of a the well-used public footpath along the edge of [the harbour].
‘The scheme will therefore provide a high level of public amenity value.’
‘Unless required, it is considered unnecessary to undertake an ecological assessment of the foreshore habitats and mudflat areas where there will be no environmental impact resulting from the proposed works.’
But the council’s environment officer has called for a full ecological assessment to be carried out as the estate lies within the Solent Special Protection Area, a Special Area of Conservation and a Ramsar Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The Oscar-winning actress, who recently picked up the British Actress of the Year at the Harpers Bazaar Awards, wants to protect her eight-bedroom property from being sunk by the sea
Kate attends the premiere of her latest movie Carnage directed by Roman Polanski at the 68th Venice International Film Festival
In a letter to the council, she wrote: ‘This will need to take into account the impact from the proposal during the construction period on the habitats and protected species but also the operational impacts post construction (for example the risks of coastal squeeze and the reflection of wave action).’
Planners are expected to make a decision next month (December 14th) and other famous residents who live in the area include Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst.
If Winslet gets the go ahead, the work is expected to be carried out in April after the winter migrating bird season to avoid disturbance, and will require a mini digger.
She previously owned a £2million in nearby Treyford but sold it in 2014 following a row with neighbours over plans to build a new entrance gate.