Ex-England captain John Terry has overcome objections from a local bat welfare society, as well as neighbours and environmental groups, and won the go ahead to begin extravagant development on one of his Surrey properties.

Terry has decided to tear down the home he bought for his mother-in-law in Queens Drive, Oxshott, and replace it with a £10 million ‘super home’ instead.

Pictures of the proposed mansion were published by ‘The Sun’ yesterday, and show that the footballer has abandoned the ‘pad’ idea and opted for ‘palace’ instead. The elegant building mimics a traditional Edwardian palace and will feature an indoor swimming pool, a single storey Eastern wing and a crown roof.

The application was delayed during its final stages when the Surrey Bat Group raised concern over the welfare of bats living in the building. A ‘bat survey’ was then ordered by Elmbridge Borough Council to ensure that the bats’ habitat would not be damaged by the building work.

The survey revealed that the building provided a small summer roost for one species of bat but that on this occasion ‘suitable mitigation’ could be found elsewhere for the flying mammals.

To the horror of many locals, this means that Terry is free to go ahead with building work on the property that one resident branded ‘distasteful’ and ‘monstrous’. Objections based on the conservation of trees in the area also failed to stop the plans being approved.

But following a stream of media attacks on his public and private lives and revelations of various scandals including an alleged affair with Wayne Bridge’s wife and his father’s drug arrest, John Terry is probably past caring about public opinion.

Terry’s ‘palace’ is to be built on one of England’s most expensive and exclusive estates. Previous residents on the estate have included Cheryl and Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba.

By Katie-Jill Rowland