Stella McCartney has been forced to take down a wooden shower which she had built on the roof of her home, after a volley of complaints from neighbours.
Residents in the upmarket Notting Hill area of London were rather displeased when Stella installed the seven foot wooden shower last summer, and they took their grievances to Westminster Council.
The authorities agreed that the structure damaged the skyline, and told her to take it down, but Stella lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, a Government body which settles planning disputes. She told them she would be willing to repaint or alter the shower, but didn't want to dismantle it completely.
Inspector Christopher Craig, who investigated the matter, agreed with the council's original ruling, however. In a letter to Miss McCartney, he told her the shower was "alien and out of keeping with the character and appearance of the building and of neighbouring properties."
"Mere repainting of the structure would not overcome the fundamental objection that the roof structures are harmful to the character and appearance of the conservation area."
Properties in Notting Hill are subject to strict planning and conservation regulations, and the authorities say Stella had no right to build anything on her roof. The 31-year-old has now been forced to dismantle the shower, despite her appeals. "She did not have the appropriate planning permission and the construction broke planning regulations, so she was forced to remove it," said a spokesperson for the council.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
