LEWIS Hamilton is on a collision course with his neighbours yet again over chopping down historic trees at his posh London mansion.
Racing ace , 40, bought the property for £18m in 2017 and spent the next six years doing the pad up, often clashing with residents including artist ’s studio.
Now he runs the risk of upsetting locals again with proposals put to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to knock down and prune trees, which are in a conservation area.
Lewis’s tree surgeon Henry Twynham wants to chop down two apple trees as they are “poor specimens”;; – and prune back a lime tree and magnolia, which is encroaching on nearby buildings.
Previously, neighbours had complained when the F1 driver applied to replace a summer house and remove historic trees which were over a century old but were said to be in bad condition.
One neighbour moaned in a previous planning application that the “current owner bought the property for £18 million in 2017 and has never set foot in it”;;.
Another added that “these trees have been there for over 100 years and are part of a magnificent landscaping legacy... their possible demise over time as a result of the construction would seriously impair the value of the neighbouring properties.”;;
A third complainant wrote: “They are magnificent “heritage”;; trees, which are easily identified from an airplane upon approach to Heathrow Airport.”;;
The racing driver’s home is next-door to a number of painters’ studios, including Hockney, who sometimes paints there and his works have been inspired by the studios.
Although David has never personally complained, the studio of artists as a collective wrote to the council regarding Hamilton’s previous renovations to build a rear extension.
They said: “As the owners of these Grade II listed buildings and as working artists who depend on natural daylight, our working and living conditions would be seriously disturbed by the plan as currently described.”;;
After rows with residents over his controversial works, Lewis and his construction team had a series of meetings to keep them onside, according to a report in a previous planning application.
He was also wrongly accused of wanting to use the six-bedroom home as a party pad with one local saying that “if the owner ever does move in, will no doubt be used as a ‘party house’ away from the main residence, due to the nature of his lifestyle”;;.
Lewis’ representative has been contacted for comment.
