Work was being done to extend the basement and add an upper terrace when the property collapsed. Photo / AP
Work was being done to extend the basement and add an upper terrace when the property collapsed. Photo / AP
A multimillion-dollar London house owned by the family of a Hollywood film mogul has collapsed during building work to extend the basement.
Neighbours reported hearing a bang "as loud as thunder" as the mid-terraced house in the upscale suburb of Chelsea was completely destroyed.
UK emergency services worked through thenight to secure neighbouring buildings in Durham Place, where nearby residents have included the super-rich and celebrities such as Roman Abramovich, Amanda Eliasch and Mick Jagger.
The collapsed house - worth an estimated £6 million (NZ$11.7m) on completion of the work - belonged to the family of film executive Arthur Abeles, who founded United International Pictures in the late 1960s. His wife Audrey, a former model, died earlier this year.
Neighbours reported hearing a bang "as loud as thunder" as the mid-terraced house in Chelsea was completely destroyed. Photo / Jamie Lorriman
New York-born Arthur Abeles moved to London in 1947 when he became head of the Hollywood giant Warner Bros in Europe.
Arthur and Aubrey Abeles began an affair while she was still married to her previous husband, causing a scandal in early 1950s London.
Arthur Abeles, who went on to jointly found Film Marketeers, which helped develop Britain's first multiplex theatre in Milton Keynes, died in May 2000.
Neighbours described the drama as the London Fire Brigade evacuated at least 40 people from surrounding buildings in the early hours of Tuesday morning (Tuesday night NZT) .
One close neighbour told how he was woken by what he thought was a loud thunderclap.
He said: "There was just a huge thud. I thought it was thunder but there was only the one loud thud. It wasn't until the morning on my way to work that I saw the building had collapsed. There were lots of police and the road was sealed off.
"Workmen have been there for weeks excavating a basement. I don't think anyone was in the property at the time but it is going to be very expensive to fix.
The property was part of a row of houses on Durham Place in Chelsea. Photo / Google Street View
"The roof has just collapsed inwards and taken down the whole of the inside."
Another said they heard a 'huge crash' and ran out of their flat to see the building next door had collapsed.
She said: "We were still up and just heard a huge crash. We ran outside and the building next door had disappeared.
"We knew it was empty but called the police. Lots of police and ambulances turned up, but no one was injured. A few hours later and there would have been 10-15 builders inside."
Several residents complained that building work in the area was making their lives a misery and threatening the structure of buildings, some of them listed.
The ruined house - which was owned by Aubrey Abeles before her death, along with her children, Angela Ashcroft and Hong-Kong based businessman Michael Hanson-Lawson - was being refurbished on behalf of British Virgin Islands-based firm Seabrook Properties.
Richard Anooshian, of the South Kensington Residents Association and Onslow Square Residents Association, said he heard the building collapse.
"There was thunder this morning and then we heard a massive thud," he said.
"People are getting approval all the time from the council and whenever you hear there's a basement being built you have to ask, is this a smart thing to do? Can they handle it? You hear stories of them collapsing and it just makes us sad."
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said building work was taking place after planning permission was granted for a three-metre extension to the lower ground basement of the house, along with a new upper terrace.
It said the permission did not include any work to extend the basement downwards.
A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea Council said: "Council staff and emergency services attended a partial building collapse in Chelsea last night. Our team worked through the night, opening an emergency rest centre for those affected and assessing the safety of surrounding buildings.
"Thankfully no one was hurt and residents were able to return safely to their homes at 3am. The reason for the collapse is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive."
The extension of basements has become a contentious issue in London, with councils restricting the development of so-called mega or iceberg basements, including cinemas and swimming pools, in the face of neighbouring residents' anger.
However, there is no suggestion the work on the collapsed building was intended to create a mega-basement.
