A planning dispute in Hampstead has escalated into a full-blown neighbourhood war, pitting actor Tom Conti against former Arsenal footballer Thierry Henry over a proposed basement development. Conti, who bought his house for £165,000 thirty years ago and added a ballroom, minstrels’ gallery, study and library, is now selling the property for £17.5 million after losing a battle against Henry’s plans for a cinema, gym, swimming pool and a 40ft spiralling fish tank with wrap-around stairwell.
The conflict highlights a growing trend among London’s wealthy elite, where basement wars have become a symbol of new money versus old. Henry’s new house replaces a 1999 design by the late Sir Richard MacCormac, which Conti reportedly regards as resembling a county jail. Conti has expressed frustration at the prospect of “10 years of endless, endless building” due to the noise and dust from Henry’s construction.
Simon Jenkins, writing in The Guardian, notes that such disputes are not just about ballrooms versus swimming pools but represent deeper cultural clashes: new money against old, liberty against authority, beauty against ugliness. He warns that the trend could lead to widespread disruption, with planning applications for swimming pools under houses in affluent areas like Holland Park potentially causing hysteria among the British ruling class.
Jenkins acknowledges that some basement developments are a matter of opinion, citing a Kensington lady who painted her house red and white stripes in revenge for neighbours resisting her basement plans. He argues that while he prefers London expanding below ground rather than above, there must be a compromise. The disruption caused by massive underground building, often lasting years, is a permanent blight on streets, he says.
The article concludes that the real bone of contention is not the final house but the getting there. In conservation areas, alterations are permissible if they do not affect external appearance, but planners often refuse permission to go up or out, leaving going down as the only option. This has led to extreme proposals, such as a four-storey basement in Bayswater’s Pembridge Square to accommodate a high-diving board.
