A wealthy French couple who decked out their £2.5million home with colourful metre-high planters have been ordered to tear them down after a bitter planning spat with 'hostile' neighbours.
When Nicolas Joseph and his wife Stephanie revamped the roof terrace of their four-bedroom family home in an exclusive Notting Hill mews, it reignited a years-long feud that began with the previous owner, controversial trans barrister Lady Samantha Kane.
There followed an acrimonious residents' campaign against their plans, and a war of words that spilled into an altercation on the street, neighbours said.
After purchasing the house in 2022, the Josephs first increased the height of the rear wall of the terrace, accessible through a window hatch, and later installed a ring of aluminium plant boxes around the perimeter.
But some among the well-heeled neighbours claimed the towering containers created a 'barricade' and blocked light to the houses behind.
Officials at Kensington and Chelsea council agreed and launched enforcement action last August, claiming the planters had been installed without planning permission.
The couple insisted the containers - filled with a mix of real and artificial blooms - caused no harm and, in fact, improved privacy for their neighbours.
They told the Daily Mail the situation had been 'exacerbated by a small number of hostile neighbours, whose complaints appear to have influenced the decision to pursue enforcement action'.
Tall planters on top of the £2.5million home in Notting Hill have been ordered to be removed following a bitter neighbourhood dispute
Stephanie Joseph, who owns the house with her husband, blamed the enforcement action on 'hostile neighbours'
The dispute is said to have begun with Lady Samantha Kane, believed to be the only person in the UK to have changed gender three times, who lived at the house previously
At the centre of the row is this roof terrace, which is now encircled by aluminium plant boxes
When the Mail visited the affluent enclave, it emerged that the feud had been rumbling for years, and all began when Lady Kane, thought to be the only person in Britain to have changed gender three times, turned the flat roof into a terrace.
Ms Kane, who was born male, had surgery in 1997 to become Samantha, before reversing the procedure and adopting the identity Charles Kane in 2004.
She later sold the property to the the Josephs for £2.2million in 2022, and now styles herself Lady Samantha Carbisdale after purchasing a £5million Scottish castle.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, claimed tensions on the lane first flared years ago under her ownership.
'The whole thing has been terrible, it's been appalling to be honest,' they said.
'It's been going on for years and years, and all started with Samantha Kane, who was Charles Kane at the time.
'Charles turned the flat roof into a terrace, which meant people started gathering on it. They could look straight into my daughter's bedroom, who was five at the time.'
It was claimed the roof was initially transformed into a terrace space without planning permission. Documents show a lawful development certificate - usually issued after the change of use - was granted in 2018, suggesting that may be correct.
The neighbour continued: 'The Josephs moved in a few years ago and applied to increase the height of the wall around the terrace, and there was a big effort among residents to get the council to block it.
'Around ten people turned up to a meeting about it, and there were about 20 complaints in the comments online.
'It actually spilled over into an altercation on the street - they confronted people in the road to say 'Why are you trying to wreck our plans?'.
'And then with these pots, I think they have just been trying their luck to be honest. I'm glad they have to take them down - they're very intrusive, and create even more of a barricade on top of the wall.
'It's been a nightmare.'
It was eventually ruled that the planters fell foul of planners, and were described by the independent Planning Inspectorate as 'stark' and 'prominent'.
The street was part of an historic slum, called the 'Potteries and Piggeries', but the area is now one of London's most fashionable
This is how the front of the house currently looks, with the planters that must now be torn down
Planning inspector Jason Whitfield ruled the tubs had created 'a substantial increase in the height of solid expanse of built form'.
He said their 'stark appearance, black colouring and solid design' caused harm to neighbours' outlook, concluding: 'In my view, the planters have resulted in an increase in massing… that they have a harmful impact on the outlook of neighbouring properties.'
The Josephs have three months to remove the structures from when the appeal was dismissed, on February 11.
Their street, which in the 19th century lay in the heart of a notorious slum known as the 'Potteries and the Piggeries', now lies in one of the capital's most fashionable neighbourhoods.
It falls within the heavily-protected Norland Conservation Area, one of west London's most desirable areas, which means residents are often prohibited from making even modest changes to their properties.
Other residents on the historic street had mixed views on the planters - with some condemning the council for the 'harsh' enforcement action.
One local said: 'I think the planters are totally fine, and it's completely outrageous the council has told them to remove them.
'We need more green on our street.'
Another neighbour over the road added: 'In general, I support the council and bureaucracy, but it seems harsh to make them take the pots down.
'I really don't have any strong opinions on the pots themselves but I wouldn't call them intrusive.'
But others backed the council crackdown.
One said: 'This street was part of an historic slum, it's quite famous.
'So I think the council is right to preserve the buildings here the way they are. You can't just let people do what they want.
'If the pots are bad for the building, then that would be very serious - or if they are dangerous for people walking past.'
Another added: 'This is a close community and I think it's important to maintain the character of the street.'
In a nuanced ruling, the planning inspectorate found the planters did not harm the character or appearance of the area, nor cause a 'harmful loss of privacy' to neighbouring residents.
But Mr Whitfield concluded that, while there was no significant impact in terms of overlooking, there was 'significant harm arising to the living conditions of neighbouring properties with regard to outlook'.
The Josephs said that when they bought the house for their family home, they 'never imagined that having a lawful roof terrace would mean so much trouble'.
They said: 'We replaced our original approved planters with uniform, more discreet ones to create a neater and more harmonious appearance.
'We worked constructively with the council throughout, responding promptly and making the requested changes.
'Unfortunately, the situation has been exacerbated by a small number of hostile neighbours, whose complaints appear to have influenced the decision to pursue enforcement action.
'Our roof terrace is lawful, and there are multiple other roof terraces along the same street.
'In this context, enforcement action against our property is clearly disproportionate and excessive.'
Lady Samantha Kane told the Mail: 'The new owners purchased the property from me as seen, and I have no knowledge of any subsequent development or planning decisions.'
