Carphone Warehouse founder embroiled in row with neighbours over extension plans at £20 million mansion

The founder of Carphone Warehouse is embroiled in a row with neighbours over plans for a huge basement extension to his £20 million Holland Park mansion.

Sir Charles Dunstone, 57, and his wife Celia, 36, applied to build a wine cellar, storage space, showers and a play room for their three young children under their six-bedroom home, according to architects' drawings.

Carphone Warehouse founder Sir Charles Dunstone has applied for a one-storey basement at their six-bedroom home in Holland Park  Photo: GLENN COPUSHowever residents said they have already endured years of noise and dust from the construction of a house with an underground gym and pool, which Sir Charles and Lady Dunstone built on land they own behind the Victorian villa.

"It's already a huge house - why do they need to make it bigger?"

Neighbour

In papers submitted to Kensington and Chelsea Council, Sir Charles, who set up Carphone Warehouse in 1989 and is worth an estimated £830 million, said he needs more space for his family.

Bijan Ghavimi, who represents residents of the nearby Redlynch Court apartment block, has lodged an objection to the basement extension plans.

Celia Dunstone and Charles Dunstone  Photo: Rex FeaturesHe believes Sir Charles and his wife are trying to merge their two Holland Park properties together via the subterranean leisure basements.

Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, has lived in a nearby property for three years.

She told the Evening Standard: "The noise and dust has been constant and the drilling sounds are horrible. When they built the pool there was drilling going on all the time and it just gets on your nerves.

"It's already a huge house. Why do they need to make it bigger?"

But in a statement accompanying his planning application, Sir Charles said: "What is proposed is a modest one-storey basement, which will be a long way inside Kensington and Chelsea's space guidelines and will wholly comply with all their strict obligations about construction noise, dust and disturbance.