Ex Arsenal star Patrick Vieira wins right to demolish £3m Hampstead mansion and build new one... with a mega-basement

 
A proposed design for Patrick Viera's new home in Hampstead

Former football star Patrick Vieira is to demolish his £3 million Hampstead mansion and build a new home in its place — with a mega-basement.

Planning permission was granted following months of wrangling after concessions were made to neighbours who complained about the “bulk” of the new house.

According to plans lodged with Camden council by the ex-Arsenal captain’s wife, Cheryl Plaza, the existing two-bedroom house, a short walk from Hampstead Heath, will be replaced with a four-storey, five-bedroom property of more than 9,000 square feet.

It will be “set into the gradient of the hillside” and the couple will create a “very private space” with “views across the treetops”.

The retired French international midfielder wanted to demolish the old property, which he bought in 2001 while playing at Arsenal, after discovering it was plagued by damp.

Patrick Vieira and Cheryl Plaza plan to demolish their existing home

Despite the Frenchman and his Trinidadian wife undertaking extensive refurbishment works they said their mansion, which was built in the Nineties and includes an indoor pool, still suffered “extensive damp problems throughout”.

But Camden council denied planning permission for the works on the first attempt last summer after neighbours raised concerns that their homes and gardens would be overlooked and that there could be “structural damage” caused by basement excavations.

They also feared potential disruption from the works, the Camden New Journal reported.

After months of negotiations, the couple made concessions that included omitting a roof terrace and councillors approved the plans.

The new property will be built from dark brick with a “privacy screen obstructing views into and out of the house”, plus a “living” sedum roof. The basement includes a solarium, a cinema room and parking for two cars — which will be reached via a car lift.

Ms Plaza’s design agents said: “There is a strong history of modern design in Hampstead. The application site provides a unique opportunity to continue this tradition with the replacement of the existing modern dwelling.”

A planning official said: “The applicant has supplied a satisfactory construction management plan to show that the proposal would not harm the local transport network, and the basement impact has been independently assessed and considered to comply with the relevant policies.”

The applicants reportedly agreed to pay about £48,000 towards community infrastructure.

Today, work was yet to begin on the project and no one was at home, with builders working next door saying they have not seen the couple recently.

Vieira, 38, finished his playing career in 2011 at Manchester City and now runs the club’s elite development squad. He has a £2.2 million home in Cheshire.

Manchester City said Vieira declined to comment.

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