Financier gets go-ahead for ‘iceberg’ basement under £5.5m home

A financier's controversial plan to build a basement leisure complex under his £5.5million home has been given the green light.

The proposals include a home cinema, fitness suite and games room with a glass-topped tunnel leading to a swimming pool.

The plans for the so-called “iceberg home” in Marryat Road, Wimbledon, were approved last night by Merton council despite fierce opposition from neighbours. The proposals were submitted by the wife of financier Derek Vago. The family have not lived at their west London home for more than two years and are believed to live in Switzerland.

Neighbour Alan Black told the Standard: “What they want is to be able to walk under the garden in a glass walkway to an enormous basement which seems the very definition of a vanity project.”

Residents fear the decision will encourage others to build similar complexes, which have led to disputes in inner London boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea. Its council is seeking to tighten planning guidelines to ban double-storey basement developments and limit their size to half that of the garden.

Some councillors on Merton’s planning committee admitted they had reservations but were powerless to stop the scheme. Cllr Peter Southgate branded the plans “unspeakable”.

He said: “I hate the thought of Wimbledon Village becoming full of these grossly over-engineered projects, but let’s leave it at that. At least we are not Kensington and Chelsea — yet.”