When it came to footballers who ruled the roost in London, it would be fair to say that Patrick Vieira, best known for his time at Arsenal, is one player that springs to mind. He was a mainstay of the last great Arsenal team and he often left a string of midfielders lying in his wake as he rampaged up and down the pitch. Roy Keane may have firmly put Patrick in his place, in the tunnel and on the pitch, but there were very few other footballers that were able to get the best of Patrick. He was a player that left his mark on football games all around the world and it seems as though Vieira is now set to leave his mark on the London property market.
This is due to the fact that he has been granted planning permission to tear down his current home, a mansion that is reported to have a value of £3m. This sounds like a crazy move to most people but the plans for the new property in Hampstead, which have been described as an “iceberg”, sound extremely promising. The current property is a three storey home located in the north of London but it will be replaced by a four storey property, with five bedrooms. The go ahead to build the new property has been granted by Camden Council although it was not an easy or straightforward process. It turns out that many people weren’t too keen on what Patrick was looking to create and many of his neighbours lodged complaints.
The complaints of the neighbours came first of all based on the disruption that the building work would likely cause but also due to the fact that the building would eventually overlook all of Patrick’s neighbours gardens and properties. This is something that some people are not too happy about and when plans were lodged over a year ago, in the name of Patrick’s wife, it didn’t take too long for complaints to be raised and objections placed with the relevant authorities.
This sounds like a dream home in London
The basement of the new property is said to offer a great range of delights with a cinema room and a mechanised turntable for car. There will be a gym, games room, swimming pool, guest suites and a bar on the ground level. Basically this new building sounds like one of the most stylish boutique hotels you are likely to find in London, but of course, it is merely for the property owners and their guests. On the first floor will be a huge open plan kitchen and dining area, with access to a lawn area at this level. The third floor of the property will contain the master bedroom, two more bedrooms, both of which boast of en-suite facilities and there will be a balcony area. This sounds like the sort of property you would expect a millionaire footballer to enjoy when they are retired from the beautiful game.
The property was developed in the latter half of the 1980s but it is believed to be riddled with damp, which is a major factor in Vieira’s decision to sell the property. The volume of complaints and the range of concerns that were issued by local residents led the local council to think long and hard about consenting to the plans but it turns out that the will of the ex Gooner was more than enough to sway the decision in his favour. Vieira was more than handy at getting referees to hand his team some questionable decisions in his playing career and there will be some local residents who will question whether the player managed to pull some strings to get his new property plans off the ground.
Some concessions have been made, including a removal of plans surrounding a terrace on the roof and it is believed that close to £50,000 will be paid towards maintaining the infrastructure of the local community. While this is clearly a stylish property, there is a belief in the local community that Vieira is undertaking this property work to sell the home. This notion is further enhanced by the fact that the former French internationalist has a home in Cheshire, closer to his current employer Manchester City, which has a value of over £2m. The interesting nature of the property, and of the property owner, will ensure that there will be plenty of surveyors who would be delighted to carry out work and offer their professional opinion on this home.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professionally for 8 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn’t sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.