The gatehouse to a spectacular £12m 'eco estate' in the Cotswolds will be radically upgraded and turned into a high-tech ecohome if Stroud planners agree to the proposal.

Tucked away from view from the centre of Alderley village, near Wotton-under-Edge, 'Summerleaze' was originally permitted as a Bradstone-brick built 1973 agricultural worker's bungalow on the outskirts of the village's conservation area and within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The gateway property serves Alderley Farm, which was originally built in 2002 by chartered surveyor and investor Owen Inskip, a housing advisor to David Cameron and friend of King Charles. The King's sons William and Harry regularly came to visit and socialise with Mr Inskip's children at the estate.

Alderley Farm was sold as a 366-acre 'eco estate' in 2015 following the tragic death of owner Erik Henriksen, a Norwegian millionaire investor who had bought the estate from Mr Inskip a decade earlier, but who subsequently died in a yachting accident in the Cayman Islands.

Complete with seven bedrooms, seven reception rooms, six bathrooms, a spa and tennis court, the original house was permitted for development under a 'loophole' revised planning guideline, known as PPG7, which was pushed through by the former Conservative environment secretary, John Gummer, in 1997 and which dictated that large-scale new country mansions could be built if they were of "truly outstanding design".

Since 2016 it has been occupied by Martin and Judith Mueller, who are believed to be Swiss and who, after purchasing at a price in excess of £12m (after an reduction from the orignal price of £17m), have reportedly made moves to accentuate environmental initiatives at the estate, including reported rewilding of areas and dedicating land for alpaca grazing.

It is not known whether the owner of the property will seek to have the removal of the original agricultural tie which dictates occupation only by those directly connected to, or retired from, farming.

But one resident local resident said such removal would be controversial.

"We have nearby property where farmers are unable to realise the value of their homes because of restrictions on who can buy; this estate, under previous owners, managed to get a neighouring barn converted under the agreement that it would be for short-stay touristic use only, but the property is now lived-in longterm," said the resident, who asked not to be named.

Punchline has sought comment from the applicant's agent for the proposal.