Duran Duran bassist John Taylor converts historic Wiltshire estate outbuildings into luxury wellness center amid bat conservation delays Duran Duran bassist John Taylor and wife Gela Nash-Taylor submit plans for a gymnasium and sauna at their 260-acre Wiltshire estate, facing ecological queries regarding local bat populations. Duran Duran bassist John Taylor has officially submitted plans to convert dilapidated historic outbuildings on his sprawling 260-acre Wiltshire estate into a state-of-the-art wellness center. The 66-year-old musician is seeking to establish a comprehensive home gymnasium suite, including a dedicated Pilates studio and a standalone sauna, as part of his permanent relocation from California to the English countryside. The blueprints filed with Wiltshire Council detail the transformation of two specific structures located near a butler's cottage and stable block into a specialized health complex. Taylor, alongside his American designer wife Gela Nash-Taylor, intends to revamp these buildings to ensure the new fitness and relaxation spaces remain secluded from their main 10-bedroom Tudor manor house.Architectural modifications involve substantial structural changes to a 1970s workshop and a 19th-century pavilion. The workshop will be converted into the Pilates studio with a dedicated washroom, featuring the replacement of an artificial roof with natural stone slates and the installation of a glazed dormer. The adjacent pavilion, characterized by rubble stone walls and a natural stone slate roof, is earmarked for conversion into a sauna after serving as empty storage.Taylor and Gela Nash-Taylor, who married in 1999, sold their Los Angeles villa for approximately $7.8 million before moving back to the UK. The couple selected this historic property for its privacy and potential, having previously lived in Hollywood for three decades while navigating Taylor's high-profile music career and past personal struggles.The Grade I-listed medieval home is recognized as a property of national historic significance, but Taylor's agents argue the proposed modifications will not compromise its integrity. They emphasize that the workshop is a modest modern building with little heritage value, while the pavilion is currently unused and in disrepair, requiring repurposing to prevent further deterioration.Despite support from neighbors and no formal objections from Historic England, the project faces a significant hurdle regarding environmental impact. Wiltshire Council ecologists have lodged an objection after ecological surveys identified three species of bats on the estate grounds.Ecological reports indicate that four common pipistrelles were recorded emerging from the stable block during a survey in June. The accompanying report warns that any construction work affecting areas used by these protected mammals would require a specific low-impact license from Natural England to proceed legally.The local authority has demanded precise clarification on the exact roosting locations of the bats and how the proposed structural changes might disturb them. This ecological concern has triggered formal scrutiny, leaving the immediate approval of the wellness suite pending further information from the applicant.This renovation project marks a deliberate shift in Taylor's lifestyle, moving away from the high-intensity environment of Hollywood to a quieter existence in the English countryside. It follows a public revelation of his past struggles with alcohol and cocaine addiction, which he detailed in his 2012 memoir.Born Nigel John Taylor, the musician found solace in music as a teenager, moving away from an earlier identity as a nerdy child who enjoyed wargaming. The construction of the new facility represents his commitment to maintaining physical health and wellness in retirement after decades of touring.Before embarking on this residential renovation, Taylor was a founding member of Duran Duran, a group formed in Birmingham in 1978 that became one of the defining acts of the 1980s. The band achieved massive global success with chart-topping hits including The Reflex, Wild Boys, Rio, and A View to a Kill.The band sold more than 100 million records worldwide before Taylor left the group in 1997 to pursue a solo recording and film career. He returned in 2001 when the original lineup reunited, cementing his legacy in rock history before focusing on his new chapter in Wiltshire.