{"id":590157,"date":"2026-09-04T17:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/590157\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T17:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:14:18","slug":"richard-hammond-bought-1-99m-welsh-mansion-with-plans-for-a-pavilion-padel-court-and-car-displays-but-plans-face-setback-after-eight-protected-bat-species-are-discovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/590157\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Hammond bought \u00a31.99m Welsh mansion with plans for a pavilion, padel court and car displays, but plans face setback after eight protected bat species are discovered |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RichardRichard Hammond\u2019s \u00a31.99m Welsh mansion dream hits an unexpected hurdle after eight protected bat species are discovered. (Photo: Getty Images\/Savills) Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond<\/a> has reportedly suffered an unexpected setback after spending nearly \u00a32 million on a historic mansion in Wales. The television presenter, 56, recently purchased the Georgian property in Llanwenarth, Monmouthshire, near the market town of Abergavenny, for \u00a31.99 million.Hammond reportedly bought the 21-acre estate with plans to renovate and transform the property, including adding a pavilion, padel court and specially designed display rooms for his collection. However, a recent wildlife survey could force him to rethink parts of those plans.<\/p>\n

Eight species of bats found on Richard Hammond\u2019s property<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/p>\n

Richard Hammond planned a major makeover for his Welsh mansion, but protected bats could change his renovation plans. (Photo: Savills)<\/p>\n

According to reports, eight species of bats have been identified using the estate to roost and hunt. Surveys carried out between June and August reportedly recorded at least two species emerging from a stone barn that Hammond had planned to renovate.The discovery could significantly affect the presenter\u2019s plans because bats are protected under UK law. It is an offence to deliberately disturb, injure or kill bats, as well as damage or destroy their roosts and habitats.The UK government states that a licence may be available in certain circumstances where disturbance or damage to bat habitats cannot be avoided, or where surveys and conservation work are being carried out.As a result, Hammond may now have to incorporate measures such as dedicated roosting spaces, special voids and bat boxes into his renovation plans.<\/p>\n

Hammond had described the move as an exciting new chapter<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/p>\n

Richard Hammond\u2019s \u00a31.99m Welsh mansion makeover faces a surprising setback after eight protected bat species are found living on the estate. (Photo: Savills)<\/p>\n

The property purchase comes around a year after Hammond and his wife of 23 years, Mindy Etheridge, announced that they were separating. Speaking previously about his move, Hammond expressed his excitement about having his cars and belongings in a new home.\u201cI moved house recently. These cars have never lived here and they\u2019re home. My babies are back. I\u2019m childish, but I\u2019m excited,\u201d he said.His planning agents have defended the proposed development, telling The Times that the scheme \u201cbeen developed through a heritage-led design process\u201d that responds positively to the property\u2019s significance. They also said the plans focus on preserving its architectural and historic interest while securing its long-term conservation through \u201csensitive repair, restoration and adaptation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Hammond continues to stay busy on screen<\/p>\n

Away from his property plans, Hammond remains closely connected to the world of motoring. The Grand Tour has been moving into a new phase following the conclusion of the original presenting trio of Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May.New presenters Francis Bourgeois, Thomas Holland and James Engelsman are set to take the show forward, with Bourgeois praising the support he received from the original hosts.\u201cThey\u2019ve been very supportive, very warm, very open in just saying, \u2018Go ahead \u2013 make it your own,\u2019\u201d Bourgeois told The Independent, adding that the new team remained committed to keeping car enthusiasm at the heart of the programme.<\/p>\n

Hammond opens up about daughter Izzy\u2019s racing career<\/p>\n

Hammond has also spoken about his daughter Izzy, 25, and the concern he felt after she crashed during a spell driving a Formula E car earlier this year.Speaking to Metro, the presenter admitted that watching his daughter race could be difficult because of his own experience with motorsport.\u201cIt\u2019s a little uncomfortable because I know from personal experience that things can and do go wrong,\u201d he said.\u201cI\u2019m a father, like any other father. I don\u2019t want to see my little girl hurt, but I don\u2019t want to hold her back from opportunities that present themselves.\u201dHammond added that Izzy is building her own career and said he could only \u201csit back and watch her do that and only applaud.\u201dFor now, the bat discovery could mean Hammond’s ambitious plans for the historic estate may need to be carefully reconsidered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richard Hammond\u2019s \u00a31.99m Welsh mansion dream hits an unexpected hurdle after eight protected bat species are discovered. (Photo:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":590158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[290562,290561,156,111,139,69,290555,290560,290554,290556,290563,290557,290559,290558],"class_list":["post-590157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-21-acre-estate","tag-bat-species","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-richard-hammond","tag-richard-hammond-house","tag-richard-hammond-mansion","tag-richard-hammond-property","tag-richard-hammond-renovation-plans","tag-richard-hammond-welsh-mansion","tag-top-gear-presenter","tag-welsh-mansion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}