Cole's swim pool plan turned down

Cheryl and Ashley Cole had argued they wanted privacy from the press

Singer Cheryl Cole and her footballer husband Ashley Cole have had a plan for an underground swimming pool at their Surrey mansion rejected by the council.

The couple wanted to build the pool, along with "a modest gym and spa", to escape press intrusion.

Their original application was rejected by Guildford Borough Council on the grounds that it was "disproportionate" to the size of the house.

An appeal was also dismissed, despite claims they should be an "exception".

The X Factor judge and her Chelsea footballer husband had argued that their celebrity status should have made a difference and that they had a right to privacy in their home near Guildford.

'Disturbance and aggravation'

Speaking on their behalf, their planning consultant, Jonathan Phillips, said they could not go to public gyms and swimming pools.

He also told the Planning Inspectorate it was unreasonable to suggest they could use external health and fitness facilities because they had been "subject to disturbance and aggravation from paparazzi and members of the public".

It was claimed the couple needed to stay fit and healthy because of their jobs.

A Guildford Borough Council spokeswoman said: "The planning inspector clearly found that the proposed extension was a disproportionate addition when compared to the size of the original property, amounting to inappropriate development in the green belt.

"We are pleased that our original decision, which was based on policies to protect the green belt, was upheld.

"Planning appeal costs are considered at the time of the appeal and neither the appellants nor the council sought costs in this case."