EASTENDERS star Charlie Brooks has lost her battle with neighbours to extend her £1.5million Surrey home.
The actress wanted to build a rear external stairway for Ibiza nightclub owner Tony Truman who lives in the flat above.
Charlie had applied for planning permission at their five-bed home
Charlie and Tony share daughter Kiki
Charlie, 41, who is best known for playing Janine Butcher on the BBC show, wanted to allow Tony to easily drop by to see their daughter Kiki, 18.
However, neighbours objected to the local council against the proposed development, saying he could simply use the side passage to pop down and see Kiki and use the garden.
They also cited loss of privacy and light and overshadowing from the “overbearing” extension to the five-bedroom pad.
In a letter, one wrote: “Access to the garden can easily be achieved by the occupiers of the upstairs flat exiting from their front door and accessing the ground floor garden via the side passage.
“The new access staircase to the first floor (directly on our boundary) will present a close direct view into our house and garden for anyone using the staircase and should be removed.”
Another neighbour wrote: “The scale and height of the rear extension will overshadow our patio area, leading to significant loss of light to this amenity area.
“It would also be ‘very overbearing and visually dominant’.”
Charlie, who quit Albert Square on Boxing Day, wanted to add side and rear extensions for two new bedrooms, a bigger porch and a loft conversion with roof lights.
She also applied for a major facelift of her home with new timber cladding, new painted render to the first floor, new patio doors and Juliet balcony.
In papers filed at the council, her planning agent said: “Flats A and B are currently owned by the same family, thus they are both consenting to install said access staircase between each of their respective demises being from the balcony of flat A down to the garden of flat B.
“If in the future any of the properties would be sold and an external member of the public purchased/took ownership.
“The staircase would be removed and upper balcony timber work be made good.”
In an interview two years ago, Charlie said: “We are going to grow old together, just in a very different way. He is absolutely my family and nothing will ever change that.”
Officials at the local council threw out the plans for the extension, giving Charlie three months to appeal against the decision.
The planning officer said: “The proposed rear extension, by virtue of height, depth, and proximity to the eastern boundary, would result in an unacceptable impact upon the occupants of number 9 in terms of loss of light, overshadowing and overbearing effect.”
