James Corden is locked in a bitter planning dispute with Camden Council over "unsightly" paving he installed without permission at the front of his reported $22 million heritage home in north London, and has now lodged a formal appeal to avoid ripping it up.
The "The Late Late Show" star paved over part of the front garden of his Victorian townhouse in the Belsize Park/Primrose Hill conservation area to create a dedicated storage area for household wheelie bins.
Planning documents show shrubs and a large planting bed were removed and about 18 square metres of driveway were repaved with concrete slabs, causing the loss of roughly seven square metres of flowerbed, according to Real Estate.
Because the property sits in one of London's most tightly protected conservation zones, any visible external changes require planning approval, which Corden did not seek before the works were carried out.
After the new paving drew complaints, Corden submitted a retrospective planning application, arguing through his agents that he was merely repairing existing paving and making "practical" changes to store bins for a busy family home.
Camden Council refused the application in November, saying local policy bans paving over front gardens, the works offered "no public benefits" and harmed the character and appearance of the street.
Officials acknowledged the four‑storey house makes a positive contribution to the conservation area but said this was outweighed by the impact of the hard landscaping.
The council ordered Corden to remove the paving and reinstate greenery by early January or face formal enforcement action. That deadline has been put on hold after he lodged an appeal, which is now with an independent inspector and has no set decision date.
In a detailed appeal statement, Corden's planning team claims there is "no noticeable alteration" to the front appearance and insists the extra hard surface is modest, functional and in keeping with a family property.
Local conservation groups and neighbours strongly disagree, warning that the loss of planting reduces biodiversity and undermines the leafy character of the conservation area, Standard reported.
The Belsize Society criticised the use of "mass-produced industrial materials," while Liberal Democrat councillor Tom Simon said there was "no valid justification" for losing green space and that approving the scheme could set a damaging precedent for other front gardens.
The paving row is the latest flashpoint since Corden and his wife Julia Carey moved into the house with their three children after he left his US talk show in 2023.
He previously faced objections over a planned rear garden gym-and-spa outbuilding but ultimately secured a certificate of lawful development, and has also added a balcony and spiral staircase at the back of the home, further heightening scrutiny of changes to his high-profile property, as per GB News.
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