Britain’s richest woman Denise Coates has finally finished work on her £90m space-age mansion, after snapping up £5.5m of her neighbours’ land.
Locals living near the huge Cheshire home, which has been compared to a Tesco Extra superstore, say the Bet365 tycoon moved into the brilliant-white house with her husband and five children last year after half a decade was spent on renovation.
They say the 56-year-old billionaire, who was handed £271million in pay and dividends last year, has an Olympic-sized swimming pool and commutes to work in one of her two helicopters.
The construction of the betting bosses’ dream home, however, has not come without its problems and has seen her clash with a neighbouring farmer after trying to purchase his land.
Locals living near the huge Cheshire home, which is said to have an Olympic size swimming pool, have compared the sprawling mansion to a Tesco Extra superstore
Denise Coates had spent half a decade on renovation of the £90million home (pictured) before moving in with her husband and five children last year
An artist’s impression of how Mrs Coates’ palatial home would look in the plans
Bet365 founder Denise Coates has finally finished work on her £90m space-age mansion in Cheshire after snapping up £5.5m of her neighbours’ land. Pictured, in 2012 Mrs Coates was awarded a CBE
Retired veterinary worker Carole Graham, 70, who lives nearby, said: ‘We’d all love to have a look around the place – it’s a shame she couldn’t have invited us to have Christmas drinks!
‘Denise ordered a huge water slide for the children. It was enormous. You hear her leave in the morning in one of her helicopters – she has two.’
‘People do get jealous and bitter about her but I think, good on her,’ Ms Graham added.
Other neighbours, however, have slammed the huge white entrance to the property as a ‘monstrosity’, claiming that the 52-acre estate is dotted with white ‘lego’ houses.
Ms Graham said she was relieved all the work had been completed, explaining they had ‘terrible trouble over the last year with all the renovation work’ that saw about 100 vans or lorries coming and going at one point’.
Other locals have said there is still work going on at the estate.
Retired car mechanic John Prescott, 80, said: ‘I saw a lorry with a cement mixer. The place is so huge that it always needs work. The front looks like a monstrosity like the entrance to a supermarket.
Neighbours have revealed the betting tycoon commutes to work in one of her two helicopters
The huge home has taken five years to build and has seen the billionaire clash with a neighbouring farmer
‘You can say what you like about her but at least she’s stayed in this country and paid her taxes.
‘She does a lot for this and when she wants something, she’ll get it done.’
In order to expand her sprawling property, Ms Coates bought up homes around the estate.
Neighbouring farmer Ed Nield is believed to have been paid more than £1million to scrap plans for canal side marina so she could build her estate.
However, farmer Edward Colclough has refused to budge and turned down ‘silly money’ for his land.
His land backs onto her planned huge estate but he has refused to move for the betting queen unlike some neighbours.
Mr Colclough previously told MailOnline: ‘This farm has been in my family for years. We’re not for sale. I don’t object to her building. She is my neighbour so I will get on with her.’
The mansion was designed by world-renowned architecture firm Foster and Partners, best-known for skyscrapers, airports and commercial buildings.
The sprawling home has an artificial lake, sunken tennis courts, as well as stables, ornamental gardens, workers’ cottages and a boathouse.
Edward Colcough has said he would never sell the land of his beloved farm to Mrs Coates
Mr Colclough rebuffed Denise Coates’s efforts to snap up his property in Cheshire as it backs on to her planned huge estate
Mr Colcough said he just couldn’t allow his farm to be sold as it’s always been in his family
Ms Coates started working in bookmaking as a teenager when she worked in shops owned by her father, the son of a miner who made his fortune in the sports stadium catering business.
The mother of five children, including four girls adopted from the same family, saw that the future of the industry was online, and mortgaged the betting shops to build the Bet365 website.
She bought the domain name on eBay and launched the site in 2001, growing rapidly thanks to prolific advertising fronted by actor Ray Winston.
The company is now a global leader employing 5,100 out of headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent and Gibraltar.