'King of Mayfair' is in a bitter planning row with neighbours over his £40m mansion

A London billionaire known as the 'King of Mayfair' has become caught up in a planning row with neighbours over his new £40 million home. Richard Caring, owner of celebrity hotspots Annabel’s, Sexy Fish and Scott’s, has been accused of breaching planning regulations when re-building his £40 million home in South Kensington.

A London council is set to give Mr Caring an enforcement notice after neighbours complained he ignored certain conditions when demolishing a 19th-century cottage and replacing it with a six-bed mansion and double basement, the Telegraph has reported. Caring, 73, reportedly bought the cottage in 2017 for £60 million and was given permission to replace it with a new build by Kensington and Chelsea Council in 2019.

He is believed to have upset neighbours over concerns about lighting, windows, and doors prompting the council to investigate the matter. His plans for the revamp include a 'beauty room', swimming pool and gym.

Formation Architects/Richard Caring South Kensington mansion housing

Mr Caring told the Telegraph he was not aware of any enforcement notice being sent to him by the council and he is in talks with the Tory-led authority about the development. He added: “Yes, you do have problems with neighbours. There is a conversation about what colour my grass should be in the garden. They think it is a little too green. We do everything we do to keep everyone happy.”

Council staff are reportedly poised to give Mr Caring a notice that would give him six months to sort out any breaches of planning permission.

A spokesman for Mr Caring told the Telegraph: “We are in constant dialogue with RBKC as we continue to discharge conditions, and also deal with some minor design queries.

“As with standard practice, after constructive discussions with the council, we have either submitted or [are] preparing revised planning applications to resolve these queries. We continue to work closely with RBKC as we near completion of the project, and remain confident all outstanding queries will be resolved.”

A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: “The council is investigating alleged breaches of planning control at the site. We take these matters very seriously and are working with the developer to ensure the work meets planning regulations.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted Mr Caring's team for comment.

Reference: Hannah Neary: My London: