MANCHESTER United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has won an 18 month planning battle after a neighbour row over beehives and a tennis court.

The 71-year-old billionaire had faced accusations he was turning his seven acre waterside property in Hampshire’s New Forest into an “industrial site”.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe was involved in an 18-month planning battleCredit: AFP

He applied for retrospective planning permission for his property in Hampshire’s New ForestCredit: Solent

Sir Jim recently became co-owner at Prem giants Manchester United

Sir Jim, 71, who owns chemical giant Ineos and recently bought 25 per cent of shares in Manchester United, built two huge barns, a tennis court and a pergola without consent.

The British businessman, who recently ran the London Marathon, applied for retrospective permission from the planning authority in 2022.

And the Red Devils supremo has now been granted planning permission for developments at his £6million holiday home which included a honey-making factory.

Ranked as Britain’s second wealthiest man with an estimated worth of £29 billion, the petrochemicals magnate has now successfully argued his case after a protracted process.

It means he won’t be forced to abandon his beekeeping facility at the estate near Beaulieu.

Sir Jim’s passion for apiary is spelt out in planning documents submitted by his agent.

“The applicant places very great value on home produced garden produce and as part of this he has commenced beekeeping at the site and has established a number of beehives in order to supply himself and his family with honey,” it says.

“Whilst beehives are distributed within the surrounding grounds the beekeeping activities also necessitate the provision of an indoor storage area for processing of honey and the storage of beekeeping equipment.

“The applicant respectfully suggests that the outbuildings will not result in any adverse harm to the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and that the development should therefore be accepted as sustainable development.”

According to the document, one of the two unauthorised sheds houses the “bee factory”, tractor, soil roller compactor, forklift, wood chipper, Turf Gator, lawn mower, hedge-cutters and leaf blowers.

The other is used for storing a cherry picker, trailer, tractor flail, fertiliser spreader, three chainsaws and a leaf sucker.

“It is acknowledged that the additional proposed storage buildings are larger and provide more storage accommodation than a standard domestic shed within a standard domestic property,” the agent said.

“Effectively, this is a 7- acre garden and the sheer size of the garden means that there is an inevitable requirement for significant amounts of garden equipment and a consequent and significant need for substantial amounts of storage accommodation to house this equipment and the materials used by garden staff.

The report said the application ‘seeks consent to regularise’ works that had already taken place at the site, including: a tennis court, pergola, works to walled garden, associated landscaping and external lighting.

Objecting to the plans in November 2022, Mr J Harrow of nearby Lymington made a dig at Brexiteer Sir Jim’s 2020 relocation to Monaco, a move that was said to have saved him an estimated £4 billion in tax.

Mr Harrow said: “Yet more development from an industrialist who seems intent on turning this stretch of the Hampshire coast into an industrial site.

“And, as we have come to expect from billionaire elites, the belief that he can do what he wants with impunity as he can afford to pay more lawyers and fight local authorities.”

Despite the objection, the plan were approved last week by the NFNPA subject to a number of conditions.

Of the external work, a planning officer for New Forest National Park Authority stated: “Whilst these works perhaps appear somewhat incongruous in a New Forest setting, they are confined to a small part of the overall site, in a location where they are not visible in the wider landscape and are not uncommon features in some of the other larger properties in the vicinity.

“The paths along the shore frontage are grassed over and although there is a helicopter landing area, this is de-marked by a spiral of small rocks set into the ground, ensuring that the extent of hard surfacing that would be visible from the Solent, which is the most public viewpoint available of the site, would be minimal.”

Despite the two outbuilding sheds being “substantial” in size, they were also granted permission because they “occupy a relatively minor area” of the site.

“The outbuildings therefore have little impact on the character and appearance of the surrounding area,” the officer continued.

“In terms of impact on neighbours, as set out above, the majority of the works are well contained within the site and have little impact on the surrounding area.”

Whilst ‘concerns’ about ecology were raised, the proposed levels of lighting had been amended to alleviate them.

The report continued: “There are a number of other measures that have been installed, including bat tubes and boxes, sparrow and swift boxes integrated into the buildings, bee bricks and hives and insect blocks.

“These enhancement features and the amendments that have been made ensure that the impact of the works are appropriately mitigated and biodiversity enhanced in accordance with the local plan.”

In conclusion, despite the works resulting in ‘considerable alteration to the character of the site, it added: “The works are, however, contained within the site and do not adversely affect the character and appearance of the wider surrounding area, neighbour amenity or ecology.”

This latest application is the most recent of a catalogue of bids to make changes to his luxury pad, after he won a six year battle to build a luxury summer building on stilts in 2020.

‘BRITAIN’S RICHEST MAN’

Sir Jim, who grew up in a Manchester council house, bought BP’s chemicals division in 1992, renaming it Inspec and later Ineos.

The entrepreneur increased his wealth by more than £15billion in 2017, catapulting him to the top of the Sunday times Rich List.

He was knighted in 2018.

Ineos sells 60m tons of petrochemicals a year, used in industries from food packaging to car manufacture, with 17,000 employees in 16 countries.

In 2019, he rode to the rescue of British cycling, buying Team Sky and promising £40m a year investment in the team which then won the Tour de France with Colombian rider Egan Bernal.

Sir Jim, a keen triathlete and sailor, bought Swiss football team Lausanne in 2017 and invested £110million in a British challenge for the America’s Cup with Sir Ben Ainslie in 2018.

Last December it was announced he had bought 25 per cent of shares of Prem giants Man United, from the Glazer family, which was completed in February.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe finishes the 2024 London MarathonCredit: Getty