Cate Blanchett’s plans to renovate £5million home near Rotherfield foiled by bat roost

Cate and her husband Andrew Upton are altering plans to renovate the £4.9million mansion after finding out they share their home with a colony of bats.

Cate, 51, had lodged a proposal to demolish a cottage and shed on their estate and replace them with a modern office and studio.

Surveys on the roosting and habits of the bats plus DNA analysis of droppings confirmed the presence of a common pipistrelle bat summer roost and a potential occasional brown longeared bat feeding roost, according to Wealden District Council.

Common pipistrelle bats and brown longeared bats are both considered to be protected species, and therefore the buildings cannot be demolished without a licence from Natural England.

The document states: “A European Protected Species (EPS) Licence from Natural England will be required to allow the buildings to be demolished, as part of this a Mitigation Strategy including prescriptions for working methods, timing, mitigation and compensation measures will be produced.”

Cate and her husband reportedly bought Highwell House in 2016 for more than £3million.

The seven-bedroom home, built in 1890, and originally named Higher Steep, also has five reception rooms, a lookout room in the house’s castle-like turret and rooms for staff.

According to property website OnTheMarket the property has retained many of its original features, with many being reclaimed or restored.

It is the former home of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Who star Tom Baker.

Cate previously owned a property in Lewes Crescent, Brighton in the early 2000s.

In 2005, won the Oscar for the Best Supporting Actress in the movie, The Aviator. And in 2014 she won Best Actress for Blue Jasmine.