J.K. Rowling to flatten $1.6M home

From: http://www.mnn.com/

'Harry Potter' author will use the new space to expand her personal garden.

Photo: ZUMA Press

When you're one of the richest women in the world, you don't need magic to make your dreams come true.

J.K. Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" series, has been given planning permission to knock down a $1.6 million home outside of Edinburgh, Scotland, for the sole purpose of expanding her personal garden. The 45-year-old purchased a 17th-century mansion next to the property two years ago for a reported $3 million and apparently has had her eye on the development ever since.

Submitted plans detail a Renaissance-style garden complete with greenhouse, summer cottage, and a "garden room" folly with a 30-foot conical center tower and a chimney. While the project sits in a conservation zone, the governing council did not object to the development because it "goes some way to restoring an original garden plot."

"However, we note the loss of a perfectly adequate and functional recently constructed dwelling from the city's housing stock and we regret and question the sustainability aspects of this demolition," said Marion Williams, director of the Cockburn Association.

Rowling, who by some estimates pulls in $1.6 million every three days from the "Harry Potter" empire, is also rumored to be the new buyer of a rural 2,000-acre farm in Tasmania. The $10.5 million spread features a seven-bedroom home, pool, tennis court, stables and 4 kilometers of frontage on the Esk River.

The final film in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II," is due out in the U.S. in July.