A wealthy couple have been ordered to tear down rooftop planters from their £2.5million London home following a furious row with neighbours.
Nicolas Joseph and his wife Stephanie installed aluminium plant boxes around the perimeter of their four-bedroom home in the salubrious Notting Hill mews.
The containers, filled with both real and artificial flowers, were deemed by some residents to form a “barricade” that obstructed light to neighbouring properties.
Kensington and Chelsea Council initiated enforcement proceedings last August, arguing the planters lacked proper planning consent.
The couple, originally from France, maintain that the containers actually enhanced their neighbours’ privacy and caused no harm whatsoever.
They accused “a small number of hostile neighbours” of influencing the council’s decision to take action against them.
Their home can now be found in one of London’s most sought-after addresses, once part of a notorious Victorian slum called the “Potteries and the Piggeries”.
It falls within the Norland Conservation Area, where even minor alterations are frequently restricted.
Their home can now be found in one of London’s most sought-after addresses
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Planning inspector Jason Whitfield dismissed the couple’s appeal on February 11, giving them three months to remove the structures.
In his ruling, Mr Whitfield determined that the black aluminium containers had created “a substantial increase in the height of solid expanse of built form”.
He concluded that their “stark appearance, black colouring and solid design” negatively affected the views from adjacent homes.
“In my view, the planters have resulted in an increase in massing that they have a harmful impact on the outlook of neighbouring properties,” the inspector stated.
The rooftop planters were deemed by some residents to form a ‘barricade’ that obstructed light to neighbouring properties
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Defending their corner, the Josephs said they “never imagined that having a lawful roof terrace would mean so much trouble” when purchasing the family home.
They described the enforcement action as “clearly disproportionate and excessive”, noting that multiple other roof terraces exist along the same street.
Passions evidently ran clear on both sides of the row, with some neighbours backing the council’s orders.
“This is a close community, and I think it’s important to maintain the character of the street,” one said.
Defending their corner, the Josephs said they ‘never imagined that having a lawful roof terrace would mean so much trouble’ when purchasing the family home
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PAEven still, some residents took the side of the Josephs.
“I think the planters are totally fine, and it’s completely outrageous the council has told them to remove them. We need more green on our street,” one resident declared.
The dispute has roots stretching back years before the family took ownership of the property.
Lady Samantha Kane, a barrister believed to be the only person in Britain to have changed gender three times, previously lived at the address and converted the flat roof into a terrace space.
A lawful development certificate was granted for the terrace in 2018, suggesting the initial conversion may have proceeded without planning permission, per the Daily Mail.
Lady Kane sold the property to the Josephs for £2.2million and now goes by Lady Samantha Carbisdale following her purchase of a £5million Scottish castle.