Gourd of the Rings! Cate Blanchett plans to build a walled garden so she can grow her own vegetables at her £5M ‘haunted’ mansion in Sussex

• EXCLUSIVE: Australian actress, 54, will use area to grow flowers, fruit and veg
• Lord of the Rings stars faces battle over plans due to rare newts and bats in area 

Cate Blanchett is going green as she plans to add a stunning Victorian-style walled garden to her ‘haunted’ £5million house.

The Australian actress, 54, announced her intention to use the area to grow her own flowers and vegetables in the wake of launching her own podcast to help ordinary people find solutions to climate change.

The wall – which reaches as high as three metres – is designed to be perfect for providing fruit with the protection they need to flourish.

It will be built to match the Lord of the Rings star’s Victorian mansion – which she bought with Australian playwright husband Andrew Upton, 57, for £4.9million in 2015.

But green-fingered Blanchett – who already keeps pigs, chickens and grows her own herbs and vegetables – faces hurdles as rare animals once again threaten her applications.

Adverse impact for greater crested newts was deemed to be ‘certain’ – while roosting bats could also be affected if they are present. 

Cate Blanchett, 54, announced her intention to use the area to grow her own flowers and vegetables in the wake of launching her own podcast to help ordinary people find solutions to climate change

The wall – which reaches as high as three metres – is designed to be perfect for providing fruit with the protection they need to flourish

Pictured: The current grassland leading up to the greenhouse where the Victorian-style walled garden will be built

It will be built to match the Romeo and Juliet star’s Victorian mansion – which she bought with Australian playwright husband Andrew Upton, 57, for £4.9million in 2015 

She will have to abide by a ‘District Licensing Sceme’ where the Newt Conservation Partnership will create habitats for the amphibian.

READ MORE: Cate Blanchett is forced to halt plans to renovate her ‘haunted’ £5m English mansion after surveyors discover rare bats have made it their home too 

It comes just three years after Blanchett’s plans to knock down a shed and a cottage to make way for a new outbuilding, featuring a meditation room, on the grounds of her home was scuppered by roosting bats.

A survey by ecologists found the brick shed, a dilapidated structure, contained droppings from both common pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats, at-risk and protected species. 

Before the Oscar-winner and her four children moved into the Sussex home it was owned by Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Who star Tom Baker. 

In 2015, The Sun named the manor Britain’s 13th creepiest abandoned house, due to its then ramshackled appearance. 

The construction will add to an existing greenhouse, complete with a sloping glass roof and toolshed – where the couple already appear to be growing their own plants.

Documents handed to Wealden District Council said: ‘The applicant wishes to build a walled kitchen garden within his domestic curtilage for producing flowers and vegetables for their own consumption.

‘Whilst it is possible to enclose the garden with a 2 metre high brick wall without seeking planning permission, the applicant is seeking to construct more substantial walls which would be in keeping with both the existing outbuilding already on site and the design, character and status of the existing dwelling which is a substantial Victorian residence.’

Before the Oscar-winner and her four children moved into the Sussex home it was owned by Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Who star Tom Baker. Pictured: Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton at the Venice International Film Festival, 2022

The construction will add to an existing greenhouse, complete with a sloping glass roof and toolshed – where the couple already appear to be growing their own plants

Adverse impact for greater crested newts was deemed to be ‘certain’ – while roosting bats could also be affected if they are present

She will have to abide by a ‘District Licensing Sceme’ where the Newt Conservation Partnership will create habitats for the amphibian

‘The walls will provide the necessary protection from the elements and create a good environment for cultivation of fruit, vegetables and flowers.’

Blanchett launched her podcast Climate of Change with energy entrepreneur Danny Kennedy in 2022, highlighting fears of global warming as they try to help ordinary people find ways to help the planet.

The couple have previously run into difficulties as they tried to expand their house – as their plans to build an office and studio building at her £5million East Sussex mansion was scuppered by a roost of rare bats.

The site is ringed by ancient woodland while a series of ponds are located within 250 meters of the proposed wall.

The hedgerows and woodland are said to provide ‘a continuous linear corridor for local commuting bats’, although this is not thought to be affected on the site itself.

But they note it has the potential for badgers – who would love the grassland despite there being no evidence of any present. 

And there is a ‘high potential’ for greater crested newts with a total of 128 amphibians of five different species in the six ponds within 250m of the application.

A report by ecologist Madison Errington said: ‘The proposed works will require the removal of approximately 0.06ha of grassland habitat to facilitate the development. 

In 2015, The Sun named the manor Britain’s 13th creepiest abandoned house, due to its then ramshackled appearance 

Adverse impact for greater crested newts was deemed to be ‘certain’ – while roosting bats could also be affected if they are present

The site is ringed by ancient woodland while a series of ponds are located within 250 meters of the proposed wall

Inside the plush greenhouse the star appears to have a workshop and already be growing her own plants

‘The grassland on site is of potential for terrestrial GCN, which are confirmed as present within 500m of the site and the site is within the amber impact zone for GCN. 

‘Therefore, in the absence of mitigation an adverse impact is certain at the local level. 

‘The greenhouse building on site was considered to hold limited potential for roosting bats to be impacted upon by the proposals, due to the presence of gaps in the brickwork resulting from missing mortar. 

‘Should works proceed in the absence of mitigation, an adverse impact at site level is certain if roosting bats are present.’

This is despite the ecology report saying the winged pests have ‘limited potential’ for roosting.

Speaking about the newts, the report continues: ‘Through a discussion with the client, the agreed approach will be making an application to undertake the proposed works under a District Licence.’

This means habitat compensation will be given to the site by the Newt Conservation Partnership through habitat creation, long term monitoring and management.

Two more historic ponds are also set to be restored, while Blanchett says she clear Duckweed in others to improve the water quality. 

It comes just three years after Blanchett’s plans to knock down a shed and a cottage (pictured) to make way for a new outbuilding on the grounds of her home were scuppered by roosting bats

A survey by ecologists found the brick shed, a dilapidated structure, contained droppings from both common pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats, at-risk and protected species. Pictured: Proposed east elevation of the studio office

They have also recommended erecting a bat box, a nesting box for birds, and additional planting of native trees and shrubs across the site. 

In 2022 Blanchett paid close to £1.5million for a farmhouse in almost 100 acres near the home she has occupied for more than five years.

She also secured planning permission to demolish a run-down oast house and stable in the grounds of her mansion and create an art gallery and studio, complete with a circular meditation room. 

Her seven-bedroom Victorian house is a short stroll from the modern farmhouse which was built in the historic style of a Wealden hall house.

It is not clear what the actress’s long-term plans are for the surrounding farmland but it has long been used commercially for a pedigree herd of beef shorthorn cattle, which moved on before the purchase was completed. Outbuildings include bull pens, stables, a tack room, and barns.

There are a number of ponds and hedges for diverting walks – and even a pair of Second World War pillboxes.

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