Victoria and David Beckham face a noisy Christmas as neighbours begin work next to their London home

David and Victoria Beckham could face a Christmas full of building work as neighbours have begun renovations next to their £31 million London home.

The couple had previously tried to block building work on the homes adjacent to their lavish property, claiming it could invade their privacy.

But it’s now thought that the local council have approved the project, meaning David and Victoria could face noise from up to 10 hours of building work a day.

The neighbours have begun work to build a new internal layout and a slate roof with a roof light, as well as a whole new outdoor space.  

Scaffolding has been put up on the property since September, with builders having permission to work there for up to 10 hours a day, from 8am to 6pm.

The Beckhams had been spending lockdown at their sprawling country mansion in The Cotswolds, but recently returned to London.

During an appearance on Lorraine, Victoria said she was looking forward to spending Christmas with her family, but didn’t reveal whether they’d be staying in London or The Cotswolds.

A representative for David and Victoria Beckham declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. 

David had previously blocked the original renovation plans, claiming they will spoil the setting of his property.

The former England captain voiced his concerns in an objection submitted to his local council which claims that the plans would spoil the uniqueness of their house.

Under plans submitted to Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Beckham’s neighbour Edward Harris intended to reconfigure the interior of his mews property which has just one bedroom, a dressing room, a shower, a garage and an open plan living room and dining area.

He also wanted to add new lightwells on the roof to bring in natural light into the property, fit new sliding windows and a new slate roof.

An outdoor courtyard and new staircase were also listed in the plans – which were rejected by officials in December 2019.

Harris’s mews property is located just behind the Beckham’s mansion, after he purchased the property for £1.9 million in November 2019, land registry records revealed.

But shortly after his renovation plans were submitted in October, representatives London Projects Ltd acting on behalf of the Beckham’s lodged an objection.

Their letter said: ‘My clients have concerns about the damage the proposal would cause to the history of the mews as well as the appearance and potential light spillage from the not insubstantial proposed roof light to the main roof.

‘My clients purchased their property because they liked the style and history of the house and the area.

‘This application seeks to spoil that with unsympathetic and inappropriate alterations and we would urge you to resist the proposals.’

The letter added: ‘The introduction of the rather large and protruding roof light to the main roof raises significant concerns for our clients.

‘The roof light will be highly visible in views from their property and is likely to light up like a beacon at night.’

They continued: ‘The proposal to demolish all but the front facade of this listed building would result in substantial harm to the listed building.’

Harris’ planning agent, Ben Smith Architecture, said: ‘We are proposing to reconfigure the ground and first floors with the addition of an external courtyard to the rear, reducing the internal area by 10 sqm.

‘The loft space is open, with a reduced area of approximately 20 sqm. The total proposed floor area is approximately 80 per cent of the existing.

‘The proposed layout retains the garage and entrance doors and introduces a new staircase and courtyard at the rear.

‘The living space upstairs is opened up and the bedroom located on the ground floor.’  

The Beckhams were successful in blocking the extension, after officials ruled against the plans in December.

Sue Foster, director of planning and place at Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: ‘The significant loss of the internal arrangement would remove much of the internal floor plan at upper level.

‘Furthermore, the loss of the existing roof profile and new roof addition would be detrimental to the original architectural proportions and character of the listed building and will contribute to further piecemeal erosion of the roofscape of the mews houses.

‘The special character of the listed building will therefore not be preserved and is contrary to CL4 and CL8 of the Local Plan.’

David and Victoria bought their Holland Park home in September 2013 with the grand property dubbed Beckingham Palace II along with an adjacent smaller Mews property.  

Shortly after, the multi-millionaires submitted 50 planning applications to renovate their pad and successfully battled one neighbour’s objection to installing air conditioning in five rooms.

During the building work, the family lived in a rented house on the same road, before finally moving in during summer 2016.

The six-bedroom house was built in the mid-19th century, and features six bedrooms, a gym, cinema room, play room and spa room.

Meanwhile, a seventh bedroom was converted into a dressing room and beauty room for David and Victoria’s extensive wardrobe.

The exclusive area has been dubbed a ‘millionaire’s row’ with other famous residents including Elton John and Robbie Williams.