Robbie Williams angers neighbours - as renovations enter second year

Robbie Williams has created something of a stir with his overhaul of Michael Winner's old house in Holland Park. Most famously his plans for the £17.5 million property went down particularly poorly with neighbour Jimmy Page. Now, as work on the property rumbles on with no end in sight, other neighbours have reportedly expressed concerns.

Williams initially submitted plans after buying the property in December 2013. However, Page was concerned about their scope, and the impact on his home, so Williams redrafted the plans - twice.

When permission was finally granted in July last year, work started. It was always going to require an awful lot of renovation, as the home has more than 45 rooms, and the changes being made to the layout are extensive. There is work being done to every floor - including a level below ground - which features a pool, gym and cinema room.

Complaint

Page has since complained about the noise of the renovations at the nearby property, which were originally intended to run for 33 weeks, but have continued for a year. Williams has continued to put in applications for different changes - and has put in a total of 27.

Now the Daily Mail has reported a neighbour as saying that they would be having a meeting about it in June.

Kensington and Chelsea council has confirmed that Williams still has permission to carry all this work out - and that he has permission to continue working on it for up to three years - for 12.5 hours a day if needs be. The Mail also made it clear that other neighbours were unconcerned - and one was particularly blasé given that they were planning huge renovations of their own.

Planning

Williams is living proof that being a celebrity does not mean you can avoid difficulties with the neighbours - and there are plenty of times they have been dragged into disputes.

Judy Murray owns a property in Stirlingshire, which while it looks impressive, had an annoying design flaw. The crenelated roof on the tower was designed poorly, so water was trapped there and it constantly leaked. However, when she applied to put a more traditional roof on it, some of the neighbours objected on the grounds that it would spoil the quirky nature of the house. Murray was given permission for the change.

A few years ago Nick Ross, the former Crimewatch presenter, applied for permission for such drastic modern changes to his Grade II listed home near Hyde Park in London, that 19 neighbours objected. Even the planning committee that awarded permission admitted it was a bit of a Marmite development.

And more recently, Bake Off's Sue Perkins faced the threat of her next door neighbour building a bungalow in the garden. Perkins sent an official objection to the council, on the grounds that it would set a precedent - allowing developers to snap up properties in order to build in the garden.