Piers Morgan protests after Google chief neighbour plans a bigger basement 'for summer clothes'

The owner of a townhouse at the centre of a long-running basement row has provoked fresh fury among millionaire neighbours by requesting extra space for her “summer and winter” wardrobes.

Homeowners in the Kensington square, where Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan and his journalist wife Celia Walden have a five-bedroom home, have been at loggerheads over Google executive Diana Layfield’s subterranean ambitions for nearly three years.

Ms Layfield, vice-president of Google’s Next Billion Users team, was given the green light for a basement with underground walk-in wardrobe and cycle store in December 2015 after two failed attempts and fierce local opposition.

She made two follow-up planning applications to extend the space — one was refused and the other withdrawn — and has now returned with a fresh request for another 150 sq ft. According to the plans, this would allow for “summer clothes storage” and “winter clothes storage”.

It has revived anger in the garden square, with 23 neighbours — including Morgan — sending official objections to Kensington and Chelsea council.

Morgan, 52, said residents were concerned about the “unprecedented” scale of the basement, and added: “The council should be upholding the policy laid down and refusing the new application.”

Fellow resident Sarah Palmer said: “We feel very strongly about our beautiful square and we should be given a fair hearing. These three years of applications have been a complete nightmare, but as a neighbourhood we have been very strong against them and feel it is beyond anything we would like to have here.”

She added: “We find it extraordinary that we will be subjected to building work in order for a resident to have a basement where they can store winter and summer clothes.”

Neighbours also fear possible flooding from the dig. Jenna de Buretel told the council: “To approve this will be to profit one greedy homeowner at the expense of a community, and a historic square will be left irreparably damaged.”

Kevin O’Connor, managing director for Cranbrook Basements, agents for Ms Layfield, said the application was “slightly different” and added: “This scheme for a domestic household is for a young family whose needs will have changed since the original consent.”

The application is being recommended for approval by the council planning committee on Tuesday.