The owner of a £4 million Chelsea mansion has been ordered to remove a 10-foot-high Japanese knotweed infestation that has turned the property into a rat-infested 'jungle' and made neighbouring houses unsellable.
Long-running dispute
Residents living next to 144 Ifield Road have been engaged in a prolonged battle against their neighbour, claiming the house is 'rotting from the inside out' and has become home to multiple pests. Several years ago, a rotting corpse was discovered in the basement after residents complained about a smell, and leaking drains previously turned the interior into a swamp.
Now, Kensington and Chelsea Council has moved to force Nicholas Halbritter to address the long-running issues at his west London property by issuing a Section 215 order. This legal power enables local planning authorities to compel owners to tidy up land or buildings that adversely affect local amenity.
Petition and council action
The order comes after 46 neighbours signed a petition urging the council to take action. At a meeting of the council's planning applications committee earlier this month, lead petitioner Nik Hoexter detailed the problems: 'There's rampant knotweed, there's rats, foxes, there's a mosquito swarm from a leaking mains, which has been going on for two years. The decomposing remains of the last basement resident were removed, the windows to the street are blacked out, and to the rear vegetation is growing into the house from broken windows. The house is rotting from the inside out.'
Councillors voted to serve the Section 215 notice despite a report recommending no action, as officers assessed there had been 'no significant harm to the area'. Councillor Marie-Therese Rossi said: 'Surely common sense must prevail. Direct action is needed, and this council must now act in the interest of its long-suffering residents.'
Owner's background
Mr Hoexter called on the council to take stronger action under Section 219 of the Act, allowing it to enter the property and undertake the work itself. He noted that the owner, Nicholas Halbritter, is a former Conservative councillor who served on the same committee. 'You frankly have to do the work and bill him. He otherwise ignores everything,' Hoexter added.
Another resident claimed Mr Halbritter 'slams the door in my face' whenever she tries to speak with him about the state of his garden. Mr Halbritter was previously investigated by neighbouring borough Hammersmith and Fulham, under an agreement between three councils to share resources. A Section 215 notice was issued, and the owner was prosecuted the following year for failing to comply. Council officers say the garden was cleared by November 2017, so the notice was considered 'complied with'.
A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: 'Following the decision of the Planning Applications Committee, we are proceeding with a Section 215 notice and will progress it in line with the legislation and relevant guidance. The 2016 notice - which was investigated by a Hammersmith & Fulham officer under a bi-borough working arrangement at the time - was considered complied with and the enforcement case was closed.'
