Singer Cheryl Cole and footballer husband Ashley Cole have had a proposal for an underground swimming pool thrown out by planning officials. Skip related content
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The couple wanted to build the 12-by-five metre pool and "a modest gym and spa" beneath their Surrey mansion to escape the prying eyes of paparazzi and reporters.
When their original application was rejected by Guildford Borough Council on the grounds that it was "disproportionate" to the size of the house, the pair appealed.
They have now learned their appeal has been dismissed, despite their claims that their celebrity status should have made it an "exceptional" case.
X Factor judge Cole and her Chelsea footballer husband had argued through their planning consultant that they had a right to privacy in their home near Guildford, which is surrounded by five hectares of land.
Speaking on their behalf, Jonathan Phillips said they could not go to public gyms and swimming pools.
It was claimed the Coles needed to stay fit and healthy because of their jobs, but that press intrusion made it impossible for them to have an outdoor pool.
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