Hollywood star Ewan McGregor has been refused permission to replace a lead roof at his luxury £2million mansion after it was letting in water.
The Trainspotting and Star Wars actor, 54, wanted to carry out work at his Carse of Gowrie retreat in Perthshire, Scotland, and applied to his local council for permission.
Documents submitted by his architect showed plans to replace the lead roof with the single-ply membrane Sarnafil.
The architects said the work on the lead roof was necessary because the property was at ‘high risk’ of being targeted by thieves.
But the plans have now been thrown out by Perth and Kinross Council, who ruled the proposals would not preserve the ‘fine detail character and special architectural interest’ of the C-listed building.
A planning report recommended the proposals be rejected, in a setback for McGregor and his actress wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 40, who he wed in 2022.
The couple had met on the set of the TV series Fargo, following McGregor’s earlier marriage to first wife Eve Mavrakis with whom he has four daughters.
Property records have shown McGregor bought his Perthshire home in 2023 for £2.35million after it had been on the market for offers above £2.15million.
Council officials have rejected proposed repairs to a damaged roof submitted on behalf of married actors Ewan McGregor (left) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (right)
The Trainspotting and Star Wars actor, 54, wanted to carry out work at his Carse of Gowrie retreat in Perthshire, Scotland, and applied to his local council for permission
One of McGregor’s most famous starring roles was in the 1996 film Trainspotting
It comes with a gate lodge and a courtyard of outbuildings and has more than 15,000sqft of living space on three floors – while also featuring a two-bedroom flat, stores and a wine cellar on the lower ground floor.
Since buying the home, he has been given permission to erect a replacement garage and to create a new master bedroom and bathroom suite.
McGregor also won a bid to repair ‘yellowing’ and ‘water damage’ to the mansion.
But the rejection of his latest attempts to repair the lead roof comes despite documents submitted by David Bell Architect that said: ‘The existing lead roof is beyond repair, suffering from fatigue cracking, splits and failed flashings.
‘Patch repairs are no longer viable and have led to water ingress, threatening the historic fabric below.
‘Lead theft may also be a recurring issue, making replacement with like-for-like materials unsustainable from a security perspective.
‘The building is at high risk due to the value of lead. Sarnafil has no resale value, making it a non-target for thieves.’
Refusing him permission, the council said: ‘The proposed replacement roof structure, single ply membrane and PVC battens, and lantern roof light features would not preserve the listed building’s fine detail character and special architectural interest.’
Ewan McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi as part of the Star Wars film franchise
Ewan McGregor and his wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead pictured in March 2024
The authority also ruled the proposed changes ‘would not be an appropriate solution or approach in protecting and enhancing the existing roof form and materiality’.
They added that it would be contrary to the local development plan by ‘virtue of re-profiling the roof’ and the use of ‘non-traditional methods and materials’.
McGregor had been given the green light last December to renovate a lodge on the grounds of the estate.
The actor, whose other hit films include Moulin Rouge and Black Hawk Down, is said to be spending extended periods at his property near his hometown of Crieff, Perthshire, which is set in more than 18 acres of land and gardens.
In an interview last year, he said: ‘I definitely started to feel this pull home. I never saw it coming, it’s weird.
‘I think whoever made the world started with Scotland and got it right.’
He also has properties elsewhere including in St John’s Wood, north-west London.
He is currently starring in London’s West End on stage in My Master Builder, an adaptation of Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen’s 1892 play The Master Builder, alongside Elizabeth Debicki who previously played Princess Diana in The Crown.
Ewan McGregor has returned to the stage this year in Ibsen adaptation My Master Builder
His co-stars in the production in London’s West End include (left to right, alongside McGregor central) David Ajala, Kate Fleeotwood, Elizabeth Debicki and Mirren Mack
McGregor, who also has a home in Los Angeles, previously told of missing living in Scotland, in an interview at Comic Con exhibition in Edinburgh in 2023.
He said: ‘What I miss the most about Scotland, is of course my family.
‘My mum and dad and my brother (Colin) and his wife Sarah and my nephew and my niece.
‘I miss the landscape. I miss the air in Scotland.
‘I miss the smell of the rain, the smell of the green and the colours of Scotland.
‘And the people and the culture. I could just keep going on and on.’
