Jon Hunt, the billionaire founder of Foxtons, has come out on top in his bid to dig down - he has won a planning battle to build a mega-basement in his London home, designed to house his collection of classic cars.
Hunt has been given the go-ahead after he appealed to the Planning Inspectorate when Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea initially turned down the plans; the Daily Mail, which reported the inspectorate decision, says the extensive will increase the value of Hunt’s home to around £100m.
The eight-bedroom mansion was purchased in 2005 for £15.75m.
Hunt’s plans provoked a dispute with some neighbours, including the French ambassador: the overall size of the home once the basement is completed will be 51,129 square feet, making the property arguably one of the largest in the country.
The Mail says that in his report, planning inspector Neil Pope wrote: “I have been informed by the appellants’ agent that their client is a ‘high net worth individual’ seeking to enlarge this property to provide a museum for his collection of motor cars. ... Finance does not appear to be an obstacle to the appellants’ desire to construct a very sizeable basement.”
.png)
.png)
Join the conversation
Be the first to comment (please use the comment box below)
Please login to comment