Starbucks boss ordered to remove tennis court and gym

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 12:15 · Archive

Mark Hepburn has been ordered to tear down a tennis court and home gym built on agricultural land behind his Hampshire home.

Mark Hepburn, a 54-year-old businessman who until October 2024 owned 23.5 Degrees, which operates 110 Starbucks locations across the UK, has been ordered to remove structures from land behind his six-bedroom home in Durley, Hampshire. He bought the property for £740,000 in December 2017 and sought to convert the three-acre plot to residential and agricultural use, claiming previous owners had used it as a garden.

Planning inspector Robert Hitchcock rejected the application, finding 'insufficient evidence' to justify the change of use. The appeal was then dismissed because the developments had an 'unacceptable effect on the rural character', with local residents raising concerns over 'increased urbanisation'. Hepburn said the previous owners had shown him the land as an 'extensive garden' and described using it to walk dogs and install rope swings.

All structures on the site must now be cleared within six months, including the bright blue tennis court, home gym, bar, TV room and children's play area. A railway carriage on the property is exempt from removal. The details emerged at a planning inquiry in Winchester, Hampshire.

How it is being reported

• Starbucks millionaire ordered to dig up tennis court and home gym after his planning application is scuppered by wife's herd of alpacasMark Hepburn, 54, has been given six months to remove the court built on agricultural land behind his six-bedroom home in Durley, Hampshire.Daily Mail · 22 Oct, 11:54
• Millionaire Starbucks boss ordered to tear down tennis court and gym in planning rowMark Hepburn’s developments had an ‘unacceptable effect on the rural character’ of the areaThe Independent · 22 Oct, 10:56

In this story: Mark Hepburn · 23.5 Degrees · Durley · Hampshire · Winchester

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