Kensington striped townhouse owner sparks new basement row

The owner of the Kensington striped house at the centre of a long-running row has again angered neighbours by submitting new plans for a basement.

Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring last month won her battle to demolish her £4.75 million property and build a new one in its place.

The Court of Appeal decision had appeared to bring an end to a five-year feud with neighbours over the future of the terrace home, which sits in the Kensington Square conservation area.

But fresh plans for a single-storey basement including gym, cinema room and art gallery as part of the new property have sparked a new backlash.

Businessman Niall Carroll, who lives next door and tried to buy the property himself in 2012, raised concerns over the impact the dig could have on the “structural stability” of surrounding homes. In a written objection to the plans, Mr Carroll also expressed fears about the noise and traffic the excavation would cause, comments echoed by Michael Bach, chairman of the Victoria Road Area Residents’ Association.

Neighbour Carolyn Wilson said: “I continue to object to the works and change of use as in my previous correspondence and worry about the safety of the many schoolchildren who use South End many times a day in term time.”

An earlier application for a two-storey “mega-basement” submitted by Ms Lisle-Mainwaring was rejected in 2015. Responding to Mr Carroll’s objection, Ms Lisle-Mainwaring wrote: “It is time that the matter of this building was resolved. The council has accepted none of the applications.

“For the area itself, this has been an unhappy experience. At least two people are trying to sell their houses ...Neither is likely to be successful until people are certain as to what is happening with the building.

“His [Mr Carroll’s] latest objections go into technical matters on which he is simply not qualified to opine.”

The application will go before Kensington and Chelsea’s planning next Tuesday. Council planning officers have recommended it be approved.

Mrs Lisle-Mainwaring said Mr Carroll’s property has a basement, while another nearby home has a treble basement with no structural problems.

Ms Lisle-Mainwaring had red “candy” stripes painted on the front of the building in 2015 to the dismay of her neighbours. She said she had done it to demonstrate the property was a “warehouse” and simply because she was "entitled to" — as they were entitled to object to her planning proposals.