Ron Burkle, the billionaire who collaborated closely with shamed music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to restructure his Sean John brand, has encountered what may prove to be his toughest opponent yet: withering snobbism in a tony British village.
Planners and councillors in the small community of Little Tew, a bucolic rural enclave whose local residents include David and Victoria Beckham, have rejected Burkle’s plans for a country house, after neighbors complained it represents a “Disneyland” version of what a British country manor house in the regional vernacular should look like.
Burkle, 71, made his fortune in supermarkets before moving into investing. In 2003 he reportedly pumped more than $100 million into Diddy’s clothing line, praising Diddy’s “vision and leadership.”
He is reportedly godfather of the children of the disgraced mogul, who is now in jail awaiting trial on multiple sexual misconduct charges. He was also a friend of and business adviser to Michael Jackson and bought the star’s Neverland Ranch after his death. He is said to currently be in negotiations with Jennifer Lopez, who is looking to buy a $30 million L.A. mansion Burkle owns as a post-breakup home.
The billionaire is also a majority stakeholder of the members-only club Soho House. Soho Farmhouse, the country club outpost of the exclusive institution, is a stone’s throw from Little Tew. Other nearby residents include former British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Burkle’s application to build a six-bedroom country house with a gun room, pool, and stables was first lodged and subsequently rejected in 2022.
Revised plans have now met the same fate. According to a report in the London Times, one neighbur wrote: “Rather than being a development of ‘truly outstanding quality,’ I believe it to be a proposal of truly outstanding grotesquery.”
Another objection reads: “The new design continues to be a pastiche. It takes design elements from numerous stately homes, large public buildings and Oxford colleges, and amalgamates too many features into a design more suited to Disneyland.”
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