An gatehouse for a spectacular £12m 'eco estate' in the Cotswolds will go ahead after planners backed the bold scheme.

Upgrades and a radical overhaul to Summerleaze, a bungalow which sits at the entrance to Alderley Farm, next to the Cotswold Way near Wotton-under-Edge, will see the 1973 agricultural labourer's dwelling transformed into an upmarket, high-tech ecohome now that Stroud District Council has rubberstamped the bid.

As reported by Punchline in August , the bungalow, constructed in Bradstone, is the gateway property to the Alderley Farm estate which has been owned since 2016 by Swiss legal professionals Martin and Judith Mueller.

The couple purchased the 366-acre estate in the wake of the sudden death of Norwegian billionaire and investor Erik Henriksen, who died in 2015, aged 58, in a speedboat accident in the Cayman Islands.

 Mr Henriksen, a coroner reported, was three-times over the island's drink-drive limit when he lost control of his 1,000hp craft, the Daily Mail stating: "Daredevil' billionaire philanthropist who was Formula 1 playboy James Hunt's friend dies in Cayman Islands after being thrown overboard when his new speedboat hit a wave."

Alderley Farm has been no stranger to news headlines throughout its short history: complete with seven bedrooms, seven reception rooms, six bathrooms, a spa and tennis court, the original house was controversially permitted amid local opposition under a 'loophole' planning guideline, known as PPG7, which was delivered in 1997 by then Conservative environment secretary John Gummer. The terms of the planning exception dictated that large-scale new country mansions could be built in a greenfield setting if they were of "truly outstanding design".

The latest marketing of the property, in 2015 by agents Knight Frank, said the property, which was built upon the former site of outbuildings to house a dairy herd, was "a wonderfully picturesque estate occupying its own valley within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty".

The agent added: "Built to an inspiring design by renowned Cotwolds architects, Yiangou, the principal house exudes classical architecture and is now commensurate with its surroundings."

Overseeing the original build in 2002, owner Owen Inskip, a chartered surveyor and investor, was a friend and eventual housing advisor to David Cameron. Given his long-standing friendship with King Charles, the address became a target for paparazzi with the King's sons, William and Harry, paying regular visits to socialise with Mr Inskip's children at the estate.

As per plans submitted by Bath-based architect Simon Morray-Jones, the new spec for the heavily revised gatehouse will include solar panels and an air-source heat pump, while a double-height kitchen area will also feature, along with downstairs living space and two first-floor bedrooms, each with bathrooms and a dressing room.

● In approving the scheme, planners have said no work can begin before a Construction Ecological Managagement Plan (CEMP) is approved.