George and Amal Clooney planned 18 security cameras at their £10 million English home; why did neighbours object and what happened next?

In July 2012, actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney were in a tough situation. They faced opposition from neighbours over their proposed security arrangements at their £10m home in Sonning Eye, Oxfordshire, England. They wanted to install 18 CCTV cameras at Mill House. It is a historic property they had purchased in October 2014. They wanted to include eight cameras mounted on wooden poles and another 10 attached to the Grade II-listed house. According to a Guardian report, six of the poles would be four metres tall. Each camera would be housed in a protective, vandal-resistant dome and could be tilted in different directions. The aim was to strengthen security at the property.

Why did the neighbours oppose it?

Eye and Dunsden parish council raised objections to the proposal. Their concern was that the cameras' could potentially capture neighbouring properties. They thought it would violate residents' privacy.

They also said that the tall polls would be visually intrusive in the village's conservation area.


They suggested an alternative security arrangement. It involved a greater number of low-level cameras facing inward towards the Clooneys' property.

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The couple modified their proposal before approval

After the objections, the Clooneys amended their application to reduce the height of two of the CCTV support poles.

According to a report published by Spear's on August 7, 2015, the revised proposal helped address the parish council's concerns, and the council subsequently withdrew its objections. South Oxfordshire District Council eventually granted planning permission in August 2015. It was reported in 2015 that George Clooney had received permission to erect eight poles carrying CCTV cameras around the mansion, along with 10 cameras attached to the house. The council concluded that the security system would not damage the special architectural and historical interest of the Grade II-listed house.

Other renovation plans at the property

Around two months before the CCTV controversy, South Oxfordshire District Council had approved several other renovation proposals. These included a new swimming pool, pool house, home cinema, annexe, replacement river house and new boundary fencing. The parish council had objected to the fencing because it wanted it positioned farther back from the river. The couple also agreed to reduce the proposed size of the replacement river house.