These new pictures show the stunning transformation of a Cornish coastal village dubbed ‘Hollywood-on-Sea’ – including a stunning eco-home and Cate Blanchett’s new mansion.
The stretch of properties along the seafront in Mawgan Porth features a series of multi-million pound developments that have attracted the rich and famous.
They have been heralded by some for their ‘futuristic’ designs – despite fears locals in Cornwall are being priced out of the area.
A spectacular new home being built in the village (Image: William Dax / SWNS) At the heart of the cliff-top scene is a five-bed eco-home being built by the Hollywood actress after she got planning permission to knock down the £1.6M cottage she bought with her playwright husband Andrew Upton.
Fresh aerial pictures taken this this April also show other ‘Californian’ style mansions that have taken over the landscape of traditional homes in what was once called ‘Cornwall’s best kept secret’ – that lies between Padstow and Newquay.
The Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings actress was believed to have been the first of the celebrities to buy a property in the village.
The new home being built by Cate Blanchett in Mawgan Porth (Image: William Dax / SWNS) She has since been followed by action movie actor Jason Statham, while actress Imogen Stubbs, Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Hollywood actor and foodie Stanley Tucci are also reported to have bought properties there.
And with the influx of A-list celebrities locals say their picturesque area has been ‘ruined’ and turned into a ‘building site’ – with prices being hiked to ‘unaffordable levels.
Some have claimed the village has been ‘overrun’ with second home owners and is left like a ghost town in winter.
One local previously said her mum has even had people walk by her house and offer £2 million for their family home – even though it is not for sale.
How the landscape now looks (Image: William Dax / SWNS) The NHS worker, who moved to the area in 1987, revealed developers were buying old properties and then flattening them to build ‘cube-shaped homes’.
She said: “It has always been a popular holiday destination as it’s between Newquay and Padstow and near a National Trust hotspot.
“It’s become more and more popular every year.
“The locals have sold up here and the properties have been taken down and there’s modern complex, cube-shaped, Californian-style buildings instead of your 1930s bungalows.
“There’s a lot of posh cubed modern buildings. Those properties are now going for over a million.
“You can’t buy a property here for under one million. Not one local can afford to buy anything here.
An archive photo showing Mawgan Porth in 2014 (Image: SWNS) “We’re near the Scarlet Hotel which attracts a lot of celebrities. There’s a certain clientele.
“It’s good for the builders as there’s constant building work going on. There’s a real architectural divide.
“My mum lives on the sand dunes. She’s lived here since 1987 when she bought her bungalow. We’ve lived there ever since.
“All the houses around there were knocked down and a posh flat roofed house was built owned by someone in London.
“He rents them out a lot. There’s a holiday home where the likes of Chris Martin and Gary Barlow have stayed.
“All the houses have been bought up by second homeowners. In the winter all the houses are all pretty much empty.
“They do bring money to the village, but at the same time local people can’t live here.”
Surfers at Mawgan Porth in 2014, showing what properties looked like then (Image: SWNS) Locals say they have also spotted the likes of Kate Winslet and Noel Gallagher there.
Cate Blanchett had also previously upset some neighbours with the noise of construction.
The latest pictures show her house renovations are still ongoing.
The actress had also bought a neighbouring plot of land and applied for permission to turn it into a new access and parking area for four cars.
The proposal was met with anger by locals in the Cornish village who feared it was being transformed into a ‘Hollywood-on-sea’ location.
The couple were also accused in official objections of a ‘total disregard’ during construction – with claims it has ‘destroyed holidays’.
Cate Blanchett is among the celebrities building homes there (Image: SWNS) The change of use application for the field was withdrawn last year and new plans are yet to be submitted.
Among those objecting at the time was holiday let owner Karen Burgess who accused the celebrity couple of having a “total disregard” for their neighbours during the lengthy build process.
Ms Burgess said: “I am deeply concerned that there has already been a total disregard for the noise that has destroyed the family holidays of all my guests.”
Hitting back at Ms Burgess’s objections, architects Watershedd, claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, explaining: “She cannot be referring to our clients’ property where there were no noisy works during the peak holiday period last year. Once again, our clients’ property has been mistaken for other works going on in Mawgan Porth.”
They added: “Throughout the whole process of the build on our clients’ property, we have been in regular communication with friendly and accommodating neighbours to ensure that they are aware of works starting, and to alleviate any concerns regarding usual or anticipated construction noise or disturbances.”