Ed Sheeran has been accused of taking housing from the homeless due to his plans to turn two cottages into one big holiday home.
The 34-year-old and his wife Cherry Seaborn snapped up the two three-bedroom 19th century terraced houses in Suffolk for a combined £1.95million.
The houses are situated in a strict conservation area along the Suffolk coast in what is quickly becoming one of the country's trendiest seaside areas.
In November last year, the Shape of You hits maker had a planning application to create his own 'beach paradise' accepted by East Suffolk Council - despite much anger from local residents.
And now, East Suffolk councillor David Beavan has invited the Sheerans' to let out their property through the council's lettings service instead while the home is unoccupied.
He said: 'There is no planning reason why it should be refused; I am just questioning the morality really. 'They are two nice people and they do a lot of good, but the idea of knocking through two homes to make one is not doing anything. 'It is just when we have got people without homes on the street and people are knocking two homes into one.' 'That is two homeless families that are not housed because someone is knocking through to create a holiday home.'
While Mr Beavan was critical of the proposal, a report by East Suffolk planning officers said that as the proposed changes did not represent a material change of use of the land and that planning permission was not needed.
The report also said that the 'comings and goings' at the house would be of a similar level as if the homes had remained separate, given the number of people that were expected to be housed.
Therefore, the net loss to housing was described as 'insignificant' while the officers also said the council had 'over delivered' against homes required and could demonstrate '6.39 years' of housing land supply.
The certificate of lawfulness was sought to determine whether removing the party wall that divided the properties constituted development that required planning permission.
In summary, the officers said: 'The proposed works do not constitute a material change of use and as such do not represent development according to Section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act (1990).'
'The proposed works do not require planning permission and are therefore lawful.'
Sheeran's plans to knock through a parting wall to create a larger four-bed house upset many of his neighbours in the Suffolk coastal town.
One neighbour complained the village was in critical need of more two and three bedroom homes amid a housing shortage.
The resident said: 'It is concerning to see this proposal to convert two 3-bedroomed houses into one 4-bedroomed household. The application describes this as a permanent alteration to the two properties.'
A local said more than 60 per cent of people who live in village are in favour of more small family homes being built - and claimed it has a lower percentage of smaller properties compared to the average in both Suffolk and England.
They continued: 'This position has not changed in the interim; on the contrary there are plans elsewhere in the village to demolish another 3-bedroomed dwelling to replace it with a 5-bedroomed house, losing a further smaller home in the process.
'The proposal will reduce the housing stock of small family homes. Could the Planning Department please consider the impact of this proposal in a village which has fewer than 340 households.'
However, the planning officer dismissed these fears stating that the borough was already delivering housing above its target.
The report from the planning officer said: 'The inspector further found that the loss of a single dwelling would not materially affect the Council's ability to boost the supply of housing, nor would it have a harmful effect on the supply of housing in the borough and therefore would not conflict with the development plan as a whole.
'Part of the inspector's consideration in reaching the conclusion that no planning consequences of significance would occur was an assessment of the Council's current housing delivery, which was above targets.'