JK Rowling's planned new tree houses at Edinburgh home

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Page last updated at 10:14 GMT, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 11:14 UK

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Images of two tree houses that JK Rowling is planning to build for her children have been revealed on the Edinburgh City Council website. The 40ft (12m), two-storey buildings will be built in the garden of her mansion.
It's estimated that the structures will cost the Harry Potter author £150,000. They need planning permission because they are so large. The 46-year-old has a boy called David, who's nine, and a girl called Mackenzie, who's seven.
The tree houses are connected by a rope bridge. The first can either be accessed from the garden itself or through a "secret" tunnel which opens onto a walkway leading to the house on the left.
Both tree houses have turrets on the side and look a bit like Hogwarts from her Harry Potter books. Also included are lanterns above the doors, balconies and carvings. They would be built on wooden stilts.
The house on the right is called "David's tree house" in the plans and has a fireman's pole on the outside of the structure plus a basket and pulley. Both would be built using wood from sustainably managed forests.
On the right in this image is "Kenzie's Tree House", which the Edinburgh City Council plans reveal has a spiral staircase and a trapdoor with rope ladder. The roof has cedar shingle tiles. There are also nature boxes for birds to nest in.
There's also space for a play area in front of the houses including swings and a trampoline deck, which can accessed from a ladder at the end of the walkway. A slide is also attached to the outside of Kenzie's Tree House.
The planning application has been made in the name of JK Rowling's husband, Dr Neil Murray. They've been at the £2 million house since buying it in 2009. Rowling's 18-year-old daughter Jessica lives with them.