Director Guy Ritchie plans to turn his English country mansion into an eco-friendly estate - with greenhouses and vegetable plots.

The star used to share Ashcombe House in Wiltshire, England with his ex-wife Madonna but after their divorce earlier this year he wants to make some changes.

Ritchie has submitted plans to the local council to help make the $13 million property more "self sufficient".

The moviemaker intends to grow his own fruit and vegetables in the gardens, but has to seek permission to carry out the improvements because of the historical significance of the 18th century building.

The planning application reads, "In the estate's prime when it was painted in the 18th Century, it was surrounded by extensive gardens including major vegetable gardens. In recent years, all productive vegetable gardens have been lost. The gardens that remain are formal or semi-formal flower gardens.

"It is proposed to try to make Ashcombe House self-sufficient. The part-walled gardens leading from the back door to the staff building will be turned over to vegetables and given a row of greenhouses to produce vines, fruit, early vegetables and seedlings... Produce from the greenhouses will be used on the estate, all part of an effort to make the estate more self-sufficient and sustainable."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)