Ed Sheeran has risked reigniting a bitter feud with his neighbours after filming himself leaping into his controversial ‘wildlife pond’ on his £3.7million Suffolk estate.The kidney-shaped plunge pool was built in 2016 but sparked a furious backlash from the singer’s disgruntled neighbours.  The Shape of You singer, 33, claimed the pond was aimed at championing wildlife and built to ‘support nature conservation’ – but furious locals feared it would promote a ‘wild lifestyle’ instead.To settle the dispute Suffolk Coastal District Council was sent to investigate the pond – which is in the middle of a field – in 2019. Later that same year Sheeran was also forced to fight a ban on using his ‘wildlife pond’ for swimming in after yet more complaints from neighbours. Kenny and Carol Cattee told the Mail on Sunday: ‘The so-called wildlife pond would now appear to be more like a swimming pond, which is somewhat different to the letter of application received from Suffolk Coastal originally.’Giving an insight into his routine for a fun Instagram update this week, Ed was seen leaping off the jetty into the water while record producer Benny Blanco narrated.  Ed Sheeran kicked off his day by diving into his specially installed pond on the grounds of his £3.7 million Suffolk estate near Framlingham on Tuesday The singer, 33, applied for permission to build the large kidney-shaped structure in 2016 but was met by concerns from neighbours who claimed it would promote a ‘wild lifestyle’ Pictured is Ed Sheeran’s kidney shaped ‘wildlife pond’ which has sparked a bitter feud with neighbours, who claim it is more like a swimming pool The musician started his morning with coffee and some porridge before heading out for a bike ride and a dip in his pond. Flashing his tattoos, which Benny joked looked like Crayola scribbles, he revealed the four photo frames inked on his back, with one bearing the footprints of daughter Lyra Antarctica, two, and a new set of prints belonging to his youngest child Jupiter, 12 months. The singer still has two photo frames on his back that have been left bare – with sources previously claiming they symbolised the number of children Ed wanted with his wife Cherry Seaborn. Ed previously spoke about his desire to have a big family and after the birth of his first child he confessed: ‘I would obviously be super grateful to be able to have any more kids… ‘I think girls are far superior to boys. As a boy myself, I feel like I can say this.’Captioning the update, he wrote: ‘Filmed a day in the life and had Benny Blanco narrate it for the lols.’Such ‘natural’ pools – typically priced around £120,000 – have become a fad among the wealthy wanting something that blends in with leafy gardens better than a traditional design, and uses plants rather than chemicals to keep the water clear.Ed installed his with a jetty to dive off and a wooden Romany-style caravan, which could be used as a changing room. Built in 2016, the pond sparked a furious backlash from locals living close to Ed’s £3.7m estate Giving an insight into his routine for a fun Instagram update this week, Ed leaped off the jetty into the water while record producer Benny Blanco narrated  Flashing his tattoos, which Benny joked looked like Crayola scribbles, he revealed the four photo frames inked on his back, with one bearing the footprints of daughter Lyra Antarctica, two, and a new set of prints belonging to his youngest child Jupiter, 12 months (pictured in his documentary)   Ed first debuted his back inking in 2021 which just had daughter Lyra’s footprints in it and it’s been claimed the blank frames are for more children A planning application at the time described how the pond would ‘support nature conservation… providing a natural habitat for breeding and wetland invertebrates such as dragonflies and water beetles, as well as providing a source of drinking water to birds and mammals’.The £500,000 ‘pond’ which features two sets of steps and is believed to have been installed by Gartenart, which specialises in wild swimming pools.After complaints in 2019, officials said there was ‘no evidence’ the ‘pond’ was being used for swimming but did find a Romany gypsy caravan parked by the water, which had been converted into a sauna.They told Ed the sauna needed planning permission, or to be removed, and the caravan has now gone, with just the concrete base remaining. A council spokesman said they would ‘continue to monitor the situation.’The 6.3-hectare grounds include informal gardens, an ornamental pond, lawns and fields. Ed was granted planning permission to build a wildlife pond in the grounds of his estate. But the jetty and two sets of steps were added last summer and the council undertook an enforcement investigation, which questioned its use for recreational purposes.The musician then applied for retrospective planning permission for the ladders and jetty, which was granted provided the pond was not used for swimming, and the enforcement case was closed.He had promised council bosses the pond it would ‘support nature conservation… providing a natural habitat for breeding and wetland invertebrates such as dragonflies and water beetles’.One local resident told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It seems Ed is now doing what he wants. He seems to be getting permission for some things but thinking he can get away with other aspects of his renovations.’ ‘Filmed a day in the life and had Benny Blanco narrate it for the lols,’ he captioned the update Ed previously gave fans a glimpse of his £3.7m Suffolk estate, dubbed ‘Sheeranville’ in his Disney+ documentary series last year The four-part series was predominantly filmed at the singer’s vast home where he resides with wife Cherry Seaborn Among the highlights in Ed’s huge home are his own recording studio where he penned his most recent album Subtract, which is set to be released on May 5 Ed is said to own 27 properties in London as part of his impressive £57million portfolio, but the highlight is his huge estate of land in Suffolk The documentary showed viewers the rustic yet modern kitchen, decorated with colourful artwork and sleek marble worktops One shot showed the vast array of paintings done by Ed’s daughter Lyra, decorating the kitchen cupboards  One clip from the series showed Cherry in a private study Ed’s home also boasts a private recording studio where he pens his tracks, with the singer playing his songs to Cherry and their unborn daughterCouncillors imposed four planning conditions with one stating that the permitted landscape features, buildings and pond should only be used as a wildlife habitat, and for no other uses, including any recreational leisure.However, Ed later appealed to the planning inspectorate on March 28 2019 against this condition. His representatives said in a document: ‘The wording of the officer’s report shows clearly why the condition is not necessary.’The officer notes that there is no evidence that the pond is to be used for recreational purposes and that it remains as a wildlife pond where the planting and naturalisation is already becoming established.’There is no evidence to suggest that the pond would be used for any other purpose than what it has been constructed for and, therefore, there is no need for a condition seeking to prevent future uses.’Neighbour Andrew Cattee had claimed that ‘what was initially a wildlife pond has become a recreational swimming pond, now with the addition of steps, handrail and jetty’.Another neighbour Tony Robinson wrote in planning documents: ‘I believe that the development of the site is more about creating an environment for a ‘wild lifestyle’ rather than actual ‘wildlife’!’The rising popularity of wild swimming has sparked a flood of interest in natural pools.The Beckhams and actor Dominic West and are among the celebrities to have splashed out on eco-friendly ponds or lakes.Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith also installed a 10-ft deep lake with an island and Chinese-style bridge and pagoda within her Oxfordshire estate when her children learnt to swim. Whenever the mercury rises, like this week, demand for chemical-free swimming ponds also soars.Paul Mercer, of Norfolk-based The Swimming Pond Company, says that they are a clean, green alternative to polluted rivers or conventional chlorine-based pools.He said: ‘We were one of the first companies to set up in the UK in 2006 when very few people had heard about swimming ponds.’We had very few enquiries and we would finish one contract and wonder where the next one would come from. There’s no place like home! In 2020 Ed splashed another £10million on the London property market growing his empire to 27 flats, houses, and mansions, as well as his own 16-acre estate in Suffolk Country living: After amassing an estimated £160million fortune, the superstar set about creating his own extraordinary estate – dubbed Sheeranville’But now there are around 2,000 natural swimming ponds in the UK and we get as many as 300 enquiries a year.’A typical 180 square metre swimming pond costs around £160,000 and is divided into two zones of equal size separated by a wall.The ‘regeneration zone’ is planted with aquatic plants such as reeds, which attract wildlife, and a pipe pumps clean, filtered water from it into the swimming zone.The ponds tend to be much bigger than conventional swimming pools and lower maintenance as they do not require draining and refilling.Ed previously gave fans a glimpse of his £3.7 million Suffolk estate in his Disney+ documentary series last year.Among the highlights in Ed’s huge home are his own recording studio where he penned his most recent album Subtract and his own pub called The Lancaster Lock.Ed is said to own 27 properties in London as part of his impressive £57million portfolio, but the highlight is his huge estate of land in Suffolk.The star, who is worth around £200million has slowly been accumulating the land around his home in Suffolk, turning it into what has become known as ‘Sheeranville’. The documentary showed viewers the rustic yet modern kitchen, decorated with colourful artwork and sleek marble worktops.Given his vast list of celebrity pals, it was no surprise that Ed was joined by his pal Stormzy during the series, with the pair chatting together in his kitchen. The star’s living room includes a vast vintage piano, and Ed also showcased a particular canvas he’d made, joking it’s ‘what his head looks like inside.’Ed’s home also boasts a private recording studio where he pens his of tracks, decorated with photographs of his family and friends.His estate boasts sprawling fields of land surrounding his home, with a rustic wooden treehouse in one area, and a vast swimming lake in another.The documentary showed Ed and Cherry plunging into the lake for a relaxing swim, and enjoying a stroll in the remote fields surrounding their home.Sheeranville is not without controversy with Ed clashing with his neighbours in the past.The star has been involved in several legal disputes over his rights and his neighbours’ rights to expand their respective landmasses.In 2022, Ed’s neighbour, Anthony Robinson, won a battle against the superstar who rejected Mr Robinson’s plans to extend his back garden.Robinson, who lives three houses along from the pop star’s estate, was given permission to make his back garden 160 feet bigger despite Ed’s objections.   Robinson already owned the field behind his four bedroom home – which is worth £550,000 – and wanted to incorporate some of it into his private garden.But Ed, who had undertaken his own vast building project just a few hundred feet away, did not want the space to be domesticated.He claimed it would ‘extend the village into the countryside in an unplanned and artificial way’.Although the council objected to Mr Robinson’s proposal initially many neighbours wrote in to support him and his plans were eventually approved.    Last June the singer had to fight to be able to keep the 16ft pub sign he had hung outside a barn converted into a drinking den. Although he had been given planning permission for the pub in 2017 he had not been given permission for the sign which caused locals to question why it was there. Sheeran was also told he could not swim in his wildlife pond after he was granted permission to build it under the condition that it was used to provide a natural habitat for frogs, newts and dragonflies.The council visited his property and specifically forbade ‘recreational leisure such as swimming’. He was also forced to remove his outside sauna, in a caravan next to the pond, after neighbours complained.   Ed bought his first home in the site, a new build, for around £900,000 back in 2012.   ‘Edopoly’: The singer’s incredible £57million property empire Ed Sheeran has accumulated an unbelievable 27 properties since 2012, both within and outside of London:. To date, his portfolio includes:  ‘Sheeranville’ country estate (£3.7m) A Holland Park mansion (£19.8m)Two Covent Garden flats (£7.36m)Three in Battersea (£1.72m) Five apartments in Wiverton Tower in Whitechapel (£3.9m)Three properties down Findon Road in Hammersmith (£1.76m)Four other assets in Holland Park, Kensington (£11.25m)Three on Portobello Road (£2.64m)Two in Chiswick (£3.68m)