CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver has taken a step closer to upgrading the garage at his mansion amid a raft of improvements at the property.

Braintree Council has given the green light for archaeological works ahead of the existing garage being torn down and replaced.

The building sits on a 70 acre estate of Spains Hall in Finchingfield and features 12 bedrooms, ten bathrooms, two drawing rooms and a great hall.

Now, Mr Oliver hopes to update and refurbish his current garage to a more modern one.

The application details plans to “demolish of the existing triple bay timber garage, followed by the erection of a replacement double bay brick garage.”

The current garage is built against a flint and brick wall which separates the front garden of the farmhouse and the rear of Spains Hall.

The proposed garage is rectangular and would be slightly smaller than the existing garage.

It comes after the it was found ‘the existing garage is in a very poor state of repair and is not fit for purpose’.

Mr Oliver was told before work could start assessments must be undertaken to examine if there is anything of archaeological interest on the site.

The plans were approved on December 20.

It means an archaeologist will oversee works checking if there is anything of historical importance.

Any archaeological deposits which are found and would be disturbed, will be examined, and cleaned before being preserved in situ if possible.

Mr Oliver and his family moved into the 16th century building in 2019, and had various applications granted in 2020.

These included replacing the gates and fencing, making changes to the front entrance doors and building a new greenhouse.

Major plans were also agreed to modernise the second floor of the property with various alterations.

The plumbing, heating and electrics were proposed to be extended fully to the second floor alongside other improvements which included creating more bathrooms and ensuites for the bedrooms.

The application said this was “to ensure the house is fit for modern family life”.