Kate Moss’ plan to renovate historic house meets with opposition

London: Kate Moss’ plan to renovate her posh North London 19th century mansion has landed her in a row with neighbours and a local Green Party councillor, who has warned her that the work could disrupt local water supplies.

The 37-year-old English model had submitted plans for building an 8,50,000 pound gym as a part of the 2.5 million pound redevelopment of her Grade II-listed house, which was previously owned by great personalities like poet Samuel Taylor-Coleridge and author J B Priestly. Local Green Party councillor Maya De Souza, following concerns of disrupting local water supplies, has cautioned Moss regarding its severe impact on the neighbours and water bodies like Highgate ponds. “My concern is the impact on groundwater flows. This has been known to impact severely on neighbours and can affect water bodies like Highgate ponds as well as causing construction-related nuisance,” the Telegraph quoted her as saying. “Large basements can mean huge numbers of lorry movements which cause too much disturbance and a risk to other residents. “I’ll be asking for proper reports on groundwater and the early submission of a contract management plan and if they are not satisfactory I’d like to see the application refused,” de Souza added. Although Moss is waiting to see if her plans get approved, many locals are already making their feelings quite clear about the “tacky” and “unsuitable” plan by saying they have already faced many problems due to basement conversions in the past and do not want any more in the future. “Kate’s house is beautiful as it is – why is she so determined to turn it into something it is not?” a neighbour said. “The groundwater in Highgate is easily disturbed and can easily cause flooding to neighbours if workers are not very, very careful. “A number of basement conversions in the area have caused serious problems in the past and the people who live around here just want them to stop,” the neighbour added. ANI