The billionaire owners of a historic mansion on the edge of Hampstead Heath have sold up after a bid to turn it into an £80 million palace was rejected by planners.
Plans to demolish Athlone House and replace it with a mansion double its size — complete with ballroom, indoor swimming pool and underground garage — were rejected at the Royal Courts of Justice last October.
Camden council first kicked out the bid in 2010 after it was opposed by 5,000 people including Monty Python star and local resident Terry Gilliam.
The owners are believed to be the Kuwaiti Kharafi family, who bought the mock-Elizabethan pile in 2006 for around £16 million and have sold up after “getting tired” of the planning battle.
It is thought that the new owners, who are said to have paid in the region of £20 million, have already contacted Camden council to discuss refurbishment plans.
Their proposals, which will spare the house from demolition, are thought to include building flats in the mansion’s expansive gardens. Local councillor Sian Berry said she was “delighted” the building will remain in place.
