John Terry, pictured with wife Toni, sold the Surrey property to Sultan Qaboos bin Said

The Sultan of Oman has lost a battle to add 10 bedrooms to the £16million mansion he bought from John Terry because newts might be living in a nearby lake.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who is worth an estimated £530million, bought the Oxshott, Surrey property five years ago, leaving ex-England and Chelsea captain John Terry with a £10million profit.

The house, built in 2010, includes a three-car garage, a separate three-bedroom 'granny flat', staff accommodation, a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam-room and an entertainment complex.

But plans for a large L-shaped extension with 10 en suites - to accommodate the Sultan's large entourage and servants - were scuppered due to a population of great crested newts who may have taken up habitat at the monarch's lake.

His consultants, Planning Design Partnership Limited, said that increasing the property's ability to accommodate large groups of officials, business people and their 'servants' would mean the house is used more 'sustainably' and could benefit the 'wider economy'.

The Crown Estate objected to the plans, and said that the proposals would have an 'over-domineering impact' on residents of a nearby property.

Terry sold his original red-brick house (top) in 2013 for £5.25million after three years on the market, but then received an out of the blue £16million offer for his new home (bottom). Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who is worth an estimated £530million, bought the Oxshott, Surrey property five years ago, leaving ex-England and Chelsea captain John Terry with a £10million profit

Pictured: The building plans for Sultan of Oman's £16million house in Oxshott, Surrey

The Sultan, 79, had lodged plans with Elmbridge District Council, but they were rejected over concerns that the proposal could impact on a potential great crested newt species possibly present in a nearby fishing lake at the property.

A decision report by case officer Aline Goult said: 'A pond is shown on the proposed site plan within 100m of the proposed development.

WHO IS SULTAN QABOOS BIN SAID? Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said salutes during a military parade at a stadium in Muscat on the occasion of the Sultanate's 40th National Day on November 29, 2010 The Sultan has been a particular fan of Britain since his stint at the Sandhurst military academy, to which he donated a sports pavilion as a sign of his happy time there. He served with the now-defunct Cameronian regiment and spent six months learning about local British government in Suffolk County Council before returning home to Oman. Sultan Qaboos seized power in a coup against his father, Said Bin Taimur, in 1970 and has ruled ever since. The Sultan's fortune derives from oil, though he has invested much of it building up Oman's tourism industry. He has spent money on his own 120-member symphony orchestra , eight grand palaces across Oman and a signature Diamond-encrusted Rolex from Asprey's in London . Also in his private collection are five super yachts, one of which has a helipad, an orchestral hall and a swimming pool. Prince William had an audience with Qaboos bin Said al Said at Bait Al Barakah Palace during the Duke's Middle East tour in December 2019. Advertisement

'This may have the potential to be a habitat for Great Crested Newts, which are a European protected species.

'An Ecology Survey was not submitted in support of the application, and so the impact on protected species could not be ascertained.'

They also added that it could also result in loss of privacy to neighbouring properties as well as negatively affecting 'the existing spacious character of the area'.

However, the Sultan appealed the decision and contested all three points raised by the council.

Addressing the Newt problem, David Chivers from Planning Design Partnership Ltd said in planning documents in December 2018 that the pond, created in 2011, did not contain any Great Crested Newts based on an ecological survey submitted at the time.

He noted that a further application to modify the pond in 2015 also included a survey which said that it had a 'below average' suitability for Great Crested Newts.

Mr Chivers concluded: 'Given the conclusions of the two Ecological Surveys carried out in the last seven years, I consider it unreasonable and unnecessary to require the applicant to commission a further survey.'

However, planning inspector Paul Hocking disagreed and decided to not allow the Sultan's appeal.

In a decision report by the Planning Inspectorate, Mr Hocking said: 'The consequence of an extension of this scale, sited along the boundaries and partially infilling the existing space around the main house, would harmfully erode the spacious character of the area.

'I find the appeal proposal would result in a scale of residential development that is significantly greater than those in the area.

'The effect of the proposal upon potential protected species has also not been adequately established or, as necessary, resolved.

'For these reasons and having regard to all other relevant matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should be dismissed.'

Royals: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh meet Sultan Qaboos bin Said in Oman in November 2010