Phones4U boss John Caudwell angers Mayfair residents with £2bn homes plan for car park

Phones4U boss John Caudwell is expected to secure planning permission for the car park next week

Mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell’s plans to turn a multi-storey car park in Mayfair into one of the world’s most exclusive apartment blocks have triggered an angry reaction from wealthy neighbours.

The Phones4U billionaire is expected to secure planning permission for the 30-home development from Westminster councillors next week after officers recommended it for approval.

The project will involve demolishing the ugly car park building — which he bought for about £155 million in 2011 — and constructing a nine-storey block called Audley Square House, which could rival One Hyde Park for luxury.

However, more than 20 neighbours have objected to the plans.

The objections include one from the owner of a £50 million-plus property in Charles Street who claimed they will lose privacy and daylight and have to deal with noise and disruption from the building work.

The registered owner of the property is Egyptian-born businessman Stelio Stefanou, who sold his building maintenance company, Accord, for £147 million in 2007.

Other residents objected because of the “bulk” and height of the development, which will reduce daylight and damage the views for some neighbouring homes. Heritage body Historic England also expressed concern over the loss of one property next to the car park, which it described as a “good conservation area building”.

And the Residents’ Society of Mayfair and St James’s described the development as “inappropriate”.

Westminster council contacted 1,138 residents and received 24 replies, 21 of which were objections.

But its planning team has recommended that Audley Square House is approved, despite admitting that the development would cause “significant” harm to heritage assets. It concluded that the public benefits of the development outweighed the “less than substantial” harm it would cause.

When the first drawings were revealed, property experts described it as “one of the most exciting residential projects ever unveiled in London”.

The 296,000 sq/ft development will have more than 200,000 sq/ft of residential space, potentially giving the site a value of more than £2 billion.

This space will be used for five townhouses, three penthouses, a mews home and 21 apartments. Each penthouse will have a lift, gym and swimming pool and the largest — at 13,401 sq/ft — would be worth more than £100 million.

The five proposed townhouses will also have their own pool and gym.

On the lower second floor of the development will be the “communal amenity facilities” — including a 15-metre swimming pool, a business centre for meetings, a gym, spa and cinema and games room.

If the application is approved at next week planning committee meeting, Mr Caudwell — who recently announced that several members of his family are suffering from Lyme disease — would have to contribute £9.4 million towards affordable housing for the borough.

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