Gordon Ramsay splashes out on former Lloyds bank branch for £2 million
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has bought his third property in Cornwall – splashing out almost £2 million on a former bank.
The potty-mouthed TV star has now invested about £10m in total in the county.
His latest purchase is a former Lloyds bank in ultra-desirable Fowey. Lloyds closed the branch in 2015 and sold the Grade II-listed property last year for £785,000.
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Planning permission has been granted to convert it into a commercial property with a two-storey maisonette.
Land Registry records show Ramsay has paid £1.96 million for the building, which is located on a narrow street in the middle of Fowey.
The property backs on to the Cornish town’s stunning estuary – a picturesque expanse littered with fishing and sailing boats.
Cornwall Council’s planning portal also shows that enquiries have been made about having it transformed into a single residential dwelling.
The 50-year-old has been spotted in the tourist hotspot on a number of occasions over the past two months and one local, in August, photographed Ramsay and wife Tana walking past the former bank.
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Plans were approved last year to turn it into a four bedroom (all en-suite) home with living room, study, kitchen/diner and with two terraces.
The ground floor currently has planning permission to be used for retail.
A pre-application on behalf of Andy Wenlock, managing director of Gordon Ramsay Holdings, has been submitted to Cornwall Council asking about the possibility of turning the retail section into residential.
Ramsay also paid £4.4 million for a home in Rock, north Cornwall, dubbed Kensington-on-Sea owing to its staggering house prices.
He angered residents in Rock with his plans to replace the 1930s home but was given the go-ahead.
The property has since been flattened and, while the new home is yet to be built, he splashed out £4 million on a stopgap house in a nearby village.
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On top of his three Cornwall properties, Ramsay owns a grand townhouse in south-west London and a beachfront home in Malibu.
Ramsay’s representatives have been approached for comment.