Christian Candy locked in neighbour row over £150m ‘Candyland’ plans

Christian Candy and his wife Emily Crompton (pictured) are building a huge £150m estate in a leafy village in Surrey  

Property tycoon Christian Candy is locked in a planning war with neighbours over the latest stage of his mind-boggling £150m ‘Candyland’ complex.

The billionaire faces furious opposition over his plan to build two huge tunnels connecting different parts of the country estate – branded a ‘vanity’ project by one resident.

He wants to sink a 20m long subterranean passage allowing access from his luxury mansion to a recently-built underground car museum, dance studio and wine cellar.

Then he hopes to connect this with a guest cottage nestled in his grand country estate through another 60m tunnel.

The 46-year-old has also applied for permission to demolish his gatehouse and stables, and replace it with a new building and garage.

Mr Candy, who is also building a £250million Regent’s Park mansion, submitted these bold plans to Runnymede Borough Council in late October, and the authority’s conservation officer has raised no objections.

However neighbours of the self-made billionaire in their leafy Surrey village have reacted with fury.

Two local residents have responded urging the council to block the development.

The first – whose name has been redacted – said they were objecting due to alleged damage to the environment and countryside and traffic and parking problems.

They claimed that when Mr Candy was excavating his car museum in 2017, there was additional environmental damage and traffic.

The objector wrote: ‘I feel I must object to what will be a massive increase in the number and movements of heavy goods vehicles traffic.

The Candys are building a single-floor mansion containing an 82-foot swimming pool, gym and massage room, estimated to cost around £30million to build, plans for which have been submitted in an application to their local council (plans pictured)

The Candys are building a single-floor mansion containing an 82-foot swimming pool, gym and massage room, estimated to cost around £30million to build, plans for which have been submitted in an application to their local council (plans pictured)

The couple are also building an extensive underground car museum will have enough space for 57 vehicles, alongside a 12-room wine cave. The plans for the car museum are pictured above

The couple are also building an extensive underground car museum will have enough space for 57 vehicles, alongside a 12-room wine cave. The plans for the car museum are pictured above

‘As Runnymede Borough Council’s honorary warden of The Green and a local resident, during the autumn and winter of 2017 when the demolition and constructions of previous properties were taking place I paid frequent and particular attention to boundaries and margins of the wooded area of the village green.

‘I can say that approximately 90 per cent of the destruction of the verges and edges at this location occurred during that period.

‘As a result of my observations of the traffic movements of the huge excavation and construction vehicles used during construction I can say unequivocally that these particular types of vehicles were a major cause of the disintegration and damage to edges and verges of the village green.

‘Runnymede Borough Council records will show the serious disruption and congestion that the parking of construction workers’ vehicles caused in October 2017, and the large amount of time and effort that the council’s Parks and Open Spaces department was forced to use to regulate it.

‘Given the 2017 scenario, I am sure that once again the public purse will have to be used to ameliorate the actions of private vanity developments that cause damage and destruction to public roads and amenities.

‘Unless action is taken to obtain some sort of guarantee or retainer from the developer to reinstate and repair the inevitable damage to public infrastructure that will occur if this application is allowed, the polluter will once again escape their responsibilities.

‘I ask you to reject the application.’

Mr Candy, who is worth an estimated £843million, wants to build two 20 metre long subterranean passage (pictured above) allowing access from his luxury mansion to a recently-built underground car museum, dance studio and wine cellar

Mr Candy, who is worth an estimated £843million, wants to build two 20 metre long subterranean passage (pictured above) allowing access from his luxury mansion to a recently-built underground car museum, dance studio and wine cellar

The self-made billionaire, who is also renovating a £250million mansion in London’s Regent’s Park, has submitted plans (above) to build the large underground museum beneath the front lawn, overlooked by a sumptuous new mansion

The application states: ‘Development of two underground tunnels connecting the cottage and the house to the underground basement car museum, dance studio and storage with access ramp and pedestrian access stairwell and the replacement dwelling and buildings.’

Another resident blasted: ‘I object to this application on the grounds of excessive development, increased traffic and noise as well as environmental concerns.’

Christian and his wife, the former socialite Emily Crompton Candy, 38, bought the four properties surrounding his opulent house, to create a huge manor where they live with their twins Isabella Monaco and Cayman Charles, aged seven – both with tax havens in their names.

The £150million estate near Egham has been dubbed ‘Candyland’, and it is thought to be worth 40 times more than Ed Sheeran’s luxurious ‘Sheeranville’ in Suffolk.

Earlier in the year, Mr Candy got the green light for his underground car museum which can store 57 motors.

He now wants to connect it to the main house and one of the guest cottages.

That would connect the bottom floor – which contains a 25m swimming pool, gym, massage and steam room – with the car entrance.

On the other side of the vast 60m motor museum would be another longer tunnel to the outhouse.

That holds a cinema, dance studio, another swimming pool and a fully functioning spa.

And the property mogul also wants to knock down his current gatehouse and replace it with a one-bedroom cottage.

The design statement, by XAB Architects, says: ‘A replacement house is proposed with a replacement gate house, stand-alone basement – car museum – garage, hard and soft landscape and a kitchen garden with outbuildings.

‘The new house is neoclassical in style and the floor plan and form of the building reflect the simplicity and traditional values of this approach.

The plans have been met with neighbour opposition who have moaned about the increase in construction vehicles at the site

The plans have been met with neighbour opposition who have moaned about the increase in construction vehicles at the site 

‘The new gate house is also neoclassical but subservient to the principal dwelling and will provide on-site sleeping accommodation for guests or staff.

‘The garage is a simple timber clad pitched roof building to house three cars.’

Residents have until November 25 to object.

Mr Candy has paid for an ecological and arboreal assessment of the plans.

He should find out if his application was successful before Christmas.

It was reported Mr Candy and his family had decamped to the Bahamas for the new lockdown.

These new proposals suggest he plans to move back to the UK in the future.

The property mogul developed a fortune of more than £600million after starting out in property management with his older brother Nick.

They are now thought to be worth more than £1.5billion between them.

The brothers began renovating flats in their spare time between 1995 and 1999.

They started with a one-bedroom flat in Earl’s Court, London, which they bought with the help of a loan from their grandmother before selling it for a £50,000 profit.

Following several years of success, the brothers were then able to give up their day jobs and established their property business Candy & Candy in 1999.

They are most famous for creating the luxury One Hyde Park apartment complex in Knightsbridge, central London.

The brothers also own a large collection of luxury superyachts, private jets and a powerboat called Catch Me If You Candy. 

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