Kim Kardashian's Business Partners Ordered to Demolish Illegal Chelsea Pergola
The founders of a high-profile celebrity skincare brand, who are business partners with reality television star Kim Kardashian, have been instructed to dismantle a substantial and illegally constructed pergola atop their multi-million-pound Chelsea residence. Dr Yannis Alexandridis and his wife Eva, the co-founders of the award-winning 111Skin brand, erected the expansive 100-square-metre steel-framed structure on the roof terrace of their four-storey Sloane Avenue property in September 2022 without obtaining the necessary planning consent.
Retrospective Application and Council Backlash
In addition to the pergola installation, the couple replaced the glazing, framing, and fascia of their existing rooftop living space to align with the pergola's grey steel aesthetic. The Alexandridises, whose skincare enterprise is partially owned by Kim Kardashian's private equity firm SKKY Partners and boasts an illustrious clientele including Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Priyanka Chopra, and singer Charli XCX, contended that the pergola was designed to be unobtrusive. They argued it was "no higher than the existing roof access structure" and thus did not intentionally dominate the roofscape, aiming instead to "enhance the usability of the existing roof terrace."
Despite their assertions that the "quirky" and "slightly unusual" structure, which featured a retractable sunroof, was "visually unobtrusive" with a "minimalist metal frame that complements the existing architecture," the couple's application for retrospective planning permission in June 2024 sparked significant opposition from local authorities. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea planners described the pergola as "incongruous," "very prominent," and "jarring" within the Chelsea Conservation Area, issuing an enforcement notice in September 2024 mandating its removal within three months.
Appeal Rejected and Enforcement Upheld
Dr Alexandridis, a prominent Harley Street plastic surgeon with a substantial Instagram following of 17,500, launched a vigorous 21-page appeal against the planning refusal and enforcement notice. He requested that then-Secretary of State Angela Rayner personally intervene and adjudicate the case, criticising the council's ruling as "inadequately drafted." In a conciliatory gesture, he proposed removing the pergola section overlooking Sloane Avenue and the fencing at the front and rear of the property to "remedy the harm caused."
However, this appeal was decisively rejected after planning inspectors determined that the proposed modifications were insufficient and would remain "harmful" to the locality. Andy Harwood, the Planning Inspector for Kensington and Chelsea, emphasised in a statement that "the framework of the pergola extends close to the edge of the roof both at the front and the rear" and, despite the blinds being open during his visit, it remained "very prominent and jarring."
The council further elaborated that the pergola, which actually comprised three separate structures spanning the entire roof terrace, was "multiple times as large and bulky as the previous pavilion" and conspicuously visible from extensive viewpoints across the borough. It overshadowed neighbouring properties and, when the sunroof was deployed, obstructed sunlight to adjacent homes. The authority concluded that the pergolas and associated alterations, due to their "siting, scale, positioning," constituted an "incongruous addition" that failed to preserve the building's appearance and roofline, adversely affecting public and private vistas from the street and upper-floor windows of surrounding properties, including conservation areas and listed buildings.
The Alexandridises have been given until June 17 to comply with the enforcement notice and dismantle the controversial structure, marking a significant planning dispute in one of Britain's most exclusive and protected postcodes.
