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Camden New Journal - by RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 30 August 2007

The hut like the one the couple want to put in their back garden, as submitted to council planning chiefs

Hollywood couple bid to create garden fantasy world

AS the director of Hollywood blockbusters Planet Of The Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tim Burton is known for his expertise at conjuring up a fantasy world.
Now he is showing that he isn’t short of imagination when it comes to dreaming up something a little out of the ordinary for his own home.
Rather than tack on any old extension to the side of his Belsize Park house – for what his architects say is “to accommodate the client’s expanding family” – Mr Burton has plumped for the rustic charm of a structure called a ‘Shepherd’s Hut’.
By the manufacturer’s own admission, the huts are an alternative choice to conventional structures and his architect has described it as “eclectic expression”.
The hut will be a “coach-built cabinet” and sit on “cast iron wheels” in the back garden, according to papers submitted to Camden’s planning department this week.
Mr Burton is said to have already created an unusual lovenest with his wife Helena Bonham-Carter, the actress who has starred in several of his films. Their home was once reportedly split in two with each having their own share of the living space. The couple have one son and, it was announced earlier this month, that they are expecting another
child in December.
Planning officials are now mulling over whether or not they should grant planning permission for the hut. It is standard procedure for them to canvass the opinion of neighbours and the designs and related photographs have been posted on Camden Council’s website for public inspection.
The application papers explain how the Shepherd’s Hut would be an extension to a “child’s suite” inside the house.
The hut – if permission is granted – will be made by a specialist company based in Devon. Basic huts are advertised at around £9,000 but there are several optional additional features such as extra insulation and coloured roofs.
The sales patter on the company’s website reads: “Hand built by local craftsmen, the traditional Shepherd’s Hut will blend into gardens, fields and woodland alike, making it a wonderfully romantic alternative to conventional garden structures.”
Traditionally, the huts were used by shepherds in the 19th century to sleep in during lambing season.
Mark Beedle, Mr Burton’s architect, said in the application papers that the project would provide “a
legible counterpoint between new and old”.
He added: “The architectural intention is to enhance and
contribute to the amenity of the setting by maintaining the tradition of eclectic expression in response to personal need.”

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