Millionaire Basement Wars documentary. The basement building boom is in full swing as multinational millionaires are snapping up property within London’s most affluent districts such as Kensington and Mayfair to turn them into mega homes. For the property owners it is seen as a worth-while investment but with the city streets being so cramped the long established neighbours are often not too impressed with all the construction work going on around them and the problems it brings.
When most people think of a basement they imagine a wine cellar or something rather modest however the houses we see in this documentary are something completely different. For example Edmund Lazarus, Managing Partner of Bregal Capital and Conservative Party donor has a 16,000 sq ft mega-basement conversion plan, which includes a 25m swimming pool, cinema and split-level gym. Something more suited the the set of a James Bond movie.
No matter what peoples opinions of these “ice berg” homes are there is no doubt that they are impressive and more are being built around central London. Over the last ten years an estimated 2000 new basements have been made. In tandem with construction The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has been bombarded with complaints of noise and interference with surrounding properties and rightfully so. This presents a huge problem for London’s councils as opposing parties both seem to be within their full rights. The BBC documentary “Millionaire Basement Wars” looks at the issue from both points of view to give us a clear idea of what is going on and of course a healthy dose of London’s mega homes.
