Ed Sheeran bogged down by planning permission woes as he's 'ordered to rip out toilet at his £3M London flat'

Ed Sheeran has been ordered to rip out a toilet at his £3.3million Grade II listed property in West London, it has been alleged. 

The singer, 35, has an extensive property portfolio that includes his flat in the capital, but he is said to have been hit with a council enforcement notice after a waste pipe was fitted without permission.

In response, Ed's team are said to have applied for retrospective permission, but if it's not granted he will have to rip out the pipe. 

They are also said to have noted: 'The works that have been undertaken are considered to be minor in nature and have not affected historic fabric.' 

As well as installing the toilet, builders are said to have knocked down a partition wall to create an 'open plan kitchen/living space', during the renovations. 

A source said: 'Ed acquired the two-bedroom property as part of his portfolio nine years ago and the works went unnoticed until a busybody blew the whistle.

They added to The Sun: 'Two en suite bedrooms were created, which is where the breach is alleged to have taken place. It's basically an unauthorised toilet which should have never been fitted where it was.'

The Daily Mail has contacted Ed's representatives for comment. 

In other property news, Ed is said to be planning to convert six historic barns at his £1.1million farm dating back to the 17th century into storage space for a 'music archive'.

The chart-topping singer bought the 400-year-old Grade II listed farm close to his 16-acre home in Suffolk two years ago.

Ed recently won permission from Mid-Suffolk District Council to convert a 19th-century piggery and barn into music studios.

Now he wants to renovate six adjoining barns dating back from as early as 1870 and which currently lie in ruins.

A planning application states this will be for 'storage/archive' purposes.

Documents submitted to the local authority state: 'The proposed use of the outbuildings is storage/archive space for the owner/family only and there will be no additional vehicles, lighting, equipment installed.'

After taking pre-planning advice, he dropped plans to link the barns to the main farmhouse, but has promised to repair all the buildings, insert new windows, doors, staircases and retain 'as much of the original fabric and form of the outbuildings as possible'.

The application adds: 'As a result the rural character of the outbuildings will be retained and the impact on the wider landscape is considered to be low.'

The council's ecology team has asked for the implementation of bat and bird boxes for sparrows, starlings and swifts, as well as bee bricks, green or brown 'living' roofs to 'support diverse habitats' and 'hedgehog friendly fencing'.

The highways department has also given the green light as long as there is a construction management plan and the public right of way running through the farm is not obstructed.

Ed produced an ecology report by Liz Lord that describes a low possibility of flooding and says it would be a 'positive impact' overall to the historic farm.

The report says: 'The main ethos of the proposed development is to reinstate the outbuildings in their original form – this will be achieved by restoring the partially deteriorated/collapsed elements to the form, scale and design of the original buildings.'

After being given the green light to turn the other outbuildings into music studios, renovation work has been slow.

Builders are having to use hand tools and take special measures due to the presence of protected Great Crested Newts, also requiring a licence.

Ed has also promised to create a 'species rich, flowering lawn' with 19 different species of flowers and 12 fruit trees.

The Daily Mail earlier quoted an insider as saying: 'Ed has huge plans for the property and is taking his time to ensure the end result is exactly what he wants.

'Each building will have a purpose, he's very particular about that, and it's all part of his masterplan to create the ultimate music hub.

'There won't be anything of its kind anywhere in the world – and it'll be right on his doorstep.'

Ed lives a short distance away in his residential Suffolk property nicknamed 'Sheeranville', with wife Cherry Seaborn, 34, and their two children, five and four.