YouTube star Zoe Sugg, better known as Zoella, has been plunged into a bitter countryside planning dispute after installing a donkey shelter, shepherd’s huts, fencing and gates on agricultural land behind her £2 million Sussex mansion without first seeking planning permission.
The influencer, 36, and her YouTuber fiancé Alfie Deyes, 32, are now seeking retrospective approval from Mid Sussex District Council for the development on a five-acre plot in the affluent village of Hassocks, which includes a secure enclosure of almost 3,000 square metres, a timber stable, a tractor parking area, a wildlife pond and three shepherd’s huts. Two of the huts would be used to store animal feed, bedding and beekeeping equipment, while the third would provide shelter for the couple while tending to their two adopted donkeys. The pair insist there are no plans to use the huts as holiday or guest accommodation.
But neighbours and local heritage groups have reacted with anger, not just to the development itself but to the fact that much of it was already in place before any application was submitted. The Hurstpierpoint Society, a local heritage group, was among the most vocal objectors. “It is a matter of considerable regret that MSDC are presented with a fait accompli, as much of the proposed development is already in place,” the group said in its objection. “It is also very unfortunate that there has not apparently been any consultation with the residents who live on this quiet country lane.”
The society added that the fencing, gates and shepherd’s huts had already altered the feel of the area. “The character and the charm of the area have been changed with the fencing and gates both now already installed. The ‘huts’ seem to be already on site and although interesting and somewhat ‘antique’, they look totally incongruous in this setting.”
Other residents have raised concerns about vehicle access to the field from a single-track lane, with one warning of “increased potential for conflict between vehicles and pedestrians and horses” and another saying the risk of “a serious conflict or accident is materially increased.” One objector argued there was “no justification or need” to position the shepherd’s huts in open countryside when there was “plenty of space for all three” within the couple’s large private garden. Another described the project as having an “urbanising effect on this undeveloped field.”
Not all neighbours share the objections. Some have spoken up in support of the couple, with one telling the council that Sugg and Deyes had rescued an “unsightly” piece of land, created a safe home for the donkeys and protected the field from potential future housing development. “The donkey enclosure, stable, tractor parking, shepherd huts and wildlife pond all seem proportionate and in keeping with the rural character of the area,” one supporter wrote. “The wildlife pond in particular would be an extremely positive addition for local wildlife.”
Zoella rose to prominence as one of Britain’s first major internet celebrities, building a multimillion-pound business empire through her beauty and lifestyle brand before turning to YouTube, where her videos attracted millions of viewers at the peak of her fame. She and Deyes, who found success through his own channel PointlessBlog, began dating in 2012 and became one of the most recognisable couples to emerge from Britain’s vlogging boom, amassing a combined following of more than 20 million subscribers. They became engaged in September 2023 after more than a decade together and have two daughters, Ottilie and Novie. The couple purchased their seven-bedroom Sussex home in 2017 for £1.6 million.
A public consultation on the planning application is due to close next month, with a final decision expected later in the summer.
