Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi are looking to build new horse stables at their farm estate in the Cotswolds, England.
However, their plans might be thwarted as they would be building on land that could contain Roman remains.
The couple submitted an application to the West Oxfordshire District Council last month, with an archaeological team confirming to the Daily Mail, “Historic maps and aerial photographs suggest that the area of the proposed stable building has not seen previous development as part of the farm, and so, it is possible that Roman remains survive on the site.”
If DeGeneres and De Rossi are granted permission to build on the land, the archaeological team said that “no development should start without the appointed archaeologist being present.”
The pair would also be responsible for monitoring any archaeological finds during construction.
Despite their tentative setback, DeGeneres and De Rossi have submitted a second proposal for an “all weather riding arena.”
Both applications are currently under review by West Oxfordshire District Council.
DeGeneres’ rep told Daily Mail of their plans, “The applicant’s horses are on site in temporary accommodation formed in the garaging in an existing barn pending the determination of [the stables application].
“In order to provide a suitable flat all-weather arena for exercising the horses, this application has been made,” they continued.
The rep explained that the horses’ “opportunities for exercise are more limited” in the winter months and “other wet times” due to the River Windrush, which floods the area where the horses are currently housed.
To sustain their proposal, DeGeneres and De Rossi included photos of the November 2024 flood in the application to the West Oxfordshire District Council.
The former talk show host, 68, and the actress, 53, also submitted a plea to grant permission “without delay.”
Page Six reached out to a rep for DeGeneres and West Oxfordshire District Council.
DeGeneres and De Rossi first purchased the 43-acre property in Spring 2024 before undergoing major renovations.
The comedian and “Arrested Development” alum only lived in the home for a month before putting it on the market and moving into a larger house that could accommodate all of De Rossi’s horses.
“When we decided to live here full time, we knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses,” DeGeneres said in a statement given to Sotheby’s at the time. “We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.”
Now, almost a year after trying to ditch the digs, DeGeneres and De Rossi have decided to stay at their estate — dubbed Kitesbridge Farm — “long-term.”
The “Ally McBeal” actress and stand-up fled the US for southwest England in November 2025 after President Donald Trump was re-elected for a second term.
DeGeneres and De Rossi sold their two-bedroom, two-bathroom Montecito, California, beach bungalow for $5.2 million in March.
Despite not permanently moving back to the US, DeGeneres and De Rossi bought a $27.4M mansion in Montecito, California, in February.
At the time, a source close to the couple told Page Six that the move was temporary.
“They haven’t grown tired of the UK,” the insider explained. “They wanted to spend the winter in Montecito. They love the Cotswolds and look forward to returning very soon.”
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