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Iceberg homes: how basements of the rich cause hell for their neighbours | Iceberg homes: how basements of the rich cause hell for their neighbours |
(6 months later) | |
Age: As old as the world's first wine cellar. | Age: As old as the world's first wine cellar. |
Appearance: Just like any other mansion. | Appearance: Just like any other mansion. |
What are iceberg homes? Homes like icebergs. | What are iceberg homes? Homes like icebergs. |
Freezing cold? No. | Freezing cold? No. |
Prone to sinking cruise liners? Not quite. | Prone to sinking cruise liners? Not quite. |
Melting? Not really. It's called an iceberg home because, as with an iceberg, quite a lot more of it is lurking beneath the surface. | Melting? Not really. It's called an iceberg home because, as with an iceberg, quite a lot more of it is lurking beneath the surface. |
And where are these iceberg homes lurking? All over – and, crucially, under – London's Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The city's super-rich have been digging down beneath their townhouses to make space for subterranean swimming pools, gyms, cinemas, ballrooms and servants' quarters, much to the consternation of their neighbours. | And where are these iceberg homes lurking? All over – and, crucially, under – London's Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The city's super-rich have been digging down beneath their townhouses to make space for subterranean swimming pools, gyms, cinemas, ballrooms and servants' quarters, much to the consternation of their neighbours. |
Why are the neighbours consternated? Partly because of the noise and disruption of up to two years of building works. | Why are the neighbours consternated? Partly because of the noise and disruption of up to two years of building works. |
And? And partly because in a few cases the digging has caused their own homes to fall apart. | And? And partly because in a few cases the digging has caused their own homes to fall apart. |
Really? Yup. Excavation work under Goldman Sachs director Christoph Stanger's mansion has caused shifts in the foundations, forming cracks and trapping neighbouring residents in their flats behind doors that no longer open. | Really? Yup. Excavation work under Goldman Sachs director Christoph Stanger's mansion has caused shifts in the foundations, forming cracks and trapping neighbouring residents in their flats behind doors that no longer open. |
And what are the council doing about it? Until recently, almost nothing. | And what are the council doing about it? Until recently, almost nothing. |
Seriously? Seriously. Of around 1,000 planning applications for basement extensions made in the last five years, more than 800 have been accepted and – as of November – only 90 refused. Planning laws prohibited building upwards, but, as one architect put it: "There was nothing to stop us from drilling all the way down to the south pole." | Seriously? Seriously. Of around 1,000 planning applications for basement extensions made in the last five years, more than 800 have been accepted and – as of November – only 90 refused. Planning laws prohibited building upwards, but, as one architect put it: "There was nothing to stop us from drilling all the way down to the south pole." |
And did they? Some are getting close. Canadian TV tycoon David Graham, for example, has produced plans for a four-storey basement bigger than his house itself. | And did they? Some are getting close. Canadian TV tycoon David Graham, for example, has produced plans for a four-storey basement bigger than his house itself. |
But now the council's going to put a stop to it? Not really. New draft rules will prevent digging under listed buildings and reduce the amount of a garden that can be excavated, but they don't come into force until the end of the year. | But now the council's going to put a stop to it? Not really. New draft rules will prevent digging under listed buildings and reduce the amount of a garden that can be excavated, but they don't come into force until the end of the year. |
Meaning? Meaning for now they may just cause a rush on planning application forms and massive drills. | Meaning? Meaning for now they may just cause a rush on planning application forms and massive drills. |
Don't say: "Well, the servants need to live somewhere." | Don't say: "Well, the servants need to live somewhere." |
Do say: "Why not go to an actual bloody cinema?" | Do say: "Why not go to an actual bloody cinema?" |
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