The gym that has been built in Steven Gerrard’s back garden is so big that it has a different postcode from that of the footballer’s house.

The £350,000, two-storey copper-and-glass building stands on the site of a former bungalow in the Liverpool captain’s garden in the Merseyside suburb of Freshfield.

Some of the player’s neighbours argue that the modern, flat-roofed design is out of place among the properties that characterise the area. Cecil Crossley, who lives nearby, said: “I cannot begin to understand why anyone would want to build an eyesore like this in their back garden. It is not in keeping with the properties in this area: it’s like building an Asda supermarket in the middle of a beauty spot.”

John Ulyatt, another neighbour, is also not a fan. “Having celebrities in the area must have an effect on property prices,” he said. “Who else would build a glorified garden shed that is worth more than the average semi?”

Despite several objections, Gerrard, 28, was given planning permission to build the gym behind his £2 million home and, after eight months of construction work, it is now approaching completion.

And not every neighbour is unhappy. One woman who lives directly opposite the new building said that she had no problems with it. “The gym is not my taste but my husband and two sons love it,” she said.

“There are always going to be people who are going to object but there are a lot who love the fact he is here – and I’m sure that Gerrard doesn’t care what others think.”

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