SINGER Robbie Williams is keen to sell his mansion in Compton Bassett, near Calne, even if it means selling it for £2.6 million less than he originally paid.

The celebrity, who in 2008 paid £8.1m for Compton Bassett House, is attempting to sell it again three years after he first placed it on the market.

He first placed it on the market in May 2010 offering it at £1 million less than he paid for it with estate agents Savills, after the cost of its maintenance began to add up.

At the time the house did not sell and it was withdrawn from the market.

The 71.55-acre estate includes four reception rooms, seven bedroom suites, as well as a leisure complex with a gym, swimming pool, hot tub, steam room, sauna and changing rooms.

Its location proved handy in May when Mr Williams’s father, Pete Conway, married Melanie Mills at St Swithin’s, a 12th century church next door.

Mr Williams has also made a few amendments himself, building a full-sized football pitch and a dirt track for quad biking, and residents say he often arrives using a private helicopter.

The job of selling the property this time, at a price of £5.5m, falls to estate agent Strutt and Parker.

Mr Williams is unlikely to be seen in Compton Bassett overseeing the sale as he is on tour this month. He is expected to live in a rented mansion in North London with his wife Ayda and his daughter Teddy, who was born in September last year.

A resident of Briar Leaze said of Mr Williams: “He’s quite a private person. We’ve seen the big posh cars but we haven’t really seen him face to face.

“I would have said he’s not part of the community because he’s not the sort of person to socialise with us.

“People round here are very friendly and everyone knows everybody else.

“Somebody who likes to socialise and get involved in the village would be nice but, to be honest, I’m not really worried who moves in.”

Chris Pomfrey, of Atwell Martin, Calne, said the drop in price could be due to the state of the housing market.

He said most property prices had dropped by 15 to 20 per cent since 2008 and this would affect the price of high-end houses.

“But to people with that kind of money, normally the money is not a problem, it’s whether they feel it’s right for them and whether the location is right,” said Mr Pomfrey.

Peter Vujakovic, of Butfield Breach Estate Agents, Calne, said: “Generally the market is very good and very active, it’s been better than it has for some time. But in the end people are being sensible.

“Property when it’s priced right is selling.”