Ex-model at war with ambassador over plan for basement at £12m home
AN aristocratic fashion designer has become embroiled in a tussle with the Serbian ambassador over her plans to extend her £12million townhouse.
Lady Sophia Hamilton has submitted an application to increase the size of the home she shares with her financier fiance by 1,250 square feet.
The 44-year-old former model, daughter of the Duke of Abercorn, wants to add a basement with a playroom and a gym to the London property.
She has also applied to extend the ground floor and to extend a second-floor bedroom on to a roof terrace.
Her four-storey Victorian home near the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington is on the same street at one of Winston Churchill’s former homes.
Lady Sophia’s proposals have upset her neighbours in the culde- sac – including Serbian ambassador Dr Ognjen Pribicevic, who lives next door.
Dr Pribicevic has threatened to take the matter to the Foreign Office if the plans are approved by Kensington and Chelsea Council. In a letter of objection, he wrote: ‘The proposal to turn a flat roof into a terrace will overlook my garden, invade my privacy, especially taking into account I am a diplomatic agent and that the garden at the rear is used for diplomatic meetings and receptions.
‘If the proposal goes forward the residents and their guests will have direct insight of what goes on in my garden, glasshouse, bedroom on the first floor and terrace at the second floor of the residence.
‘It would not only affect my diplomatic activities but also seriously undermine the privacy of the ambassador and his family.’ He also raised concerns about the number of trucks driving down the cul-de-sac.
‘These activities would cause chaos in our narrow street, threatening to undermine my daily activities as Ambassador of Serbia, which involves meetings and receptions,’ he wrote.
‘Noise, dust and lorries turning around in front of my door as well as partial 20 to 30-minute closures of the street would make it impossible for me to perform my diplomatic duties in a proper way, in line with diplomatic protocol.’
Dr Pribicevic said he would be left with ‘no other choice but to immediately lodge a complaint with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’.
Neighbour Portia Rowlands said the new terrace would overlook her garden.
She wrote: ‘We are concerned about the noise, dust and vibration from the excavation work. Having up to five lorries a day will have a big impact on the noise and disturbance we will feel within our house.’
Tim Barlow wrote: ‘We strongly object to this application on the basis of the noise, vibration, dust and general disruption to this quiet area of Kensington.
‘This “no through” road is very narrow, making it difficult for lorries to turn around.’
Jasmyne King-Leeder, who lives in Virginia Woolf’s childhood home, also raised concerns about the proposals and the disruption lorries would cause.
She said: ‘It would be like living on top of this construction and [we] would have to endure noise, dust and air pollution.’
The plans, submitted in the name of Lady Sophia’s fiance Hashem Arouzi, have already been amended once. In 2015 they were forced to withdraw plans for a basement with a swimming pool and sauna after objections from neighbours.
Lady Sophia gave up her modelling career to start fashion label Hamilton-Paris. Her fiance Mr Arouzi is the founder and partner of Gottex Fund Management, based in Mayfair, and is also a trustee of the Iran Heritage Foundation.
Lady Sophia and Mr Arouzi were yet to respond to requests for comment last night.
‘Direct insight of my bedroom’