Plans by the actress Kate Winslet to build a 600ft-long barrier to protect her 17th century home from storms and tidal surges are being opposed by Natural England.
The 39-year-old Titanic star has submitted an application to put boulders and gravel between her property and the sea in West Sussex. Natural England, the government body responsible for protecting the environment, is urging the local council to reject the plan because it could result in the “direct loss” of wetland, a habitat for rare birds and plants. Opponents are also worried that the wall could affect a public footpath running along the edge of the property by the shore.
Winslet lives in the Grade II-listed, eight-bedroom house with her third husband, Richard Branson’s nephew Ned Rocknroll,