George Michael fan starts work to tear apart star’s £19M home after neighbours accuse him of ruining ‘harmony’ of street
A GEORGE Michael superfan who bought the star’s £19M London home has started work to tear it down.
Multi-millionaire Stephen Cameron purchased the Grade II-listed Highgate home in 2020.
Comms guru Cameron – who regularly features on The Sunday Times rich list with a £171m fortune – won permission from Camden Council for a “super basement” under the front garden, which includes living accommodation and a second kitchen.
The extensive refurbishments triggered bitter complaints from locals but new pictures show the work is full-steam ahead, with workers vans parked outside.
Black fencing has been placed around the entrance of the home but the top a digger can be seen poking over the top.
Residents say the renovations have caused misery due to the constant drilling and loud hammering.
They claim to be subjected to constant noise for ten hours a day from eight in the morning to six at night, five days a week.
Exclusive video shared by The Sun previously revealed the sort of din neighbours have endured for the last two months, including during the Yuletide period, which is always remembered for one of the former Wham frontman’s most famous hits “Last Christmas”.
George lived next door to supermodel Kate Moss, who claimed that she’d get a ladder and climb over with daughter Lily Grace to frolic in the pool.
They’ve also been allowed to extend the existing outbuilding, including outdoor shower and roof terrace, relocate the swimming pool and add a pergola.
In July last year, the couple were granted permission for “minor alterations” including a new bedroom, moving the kitchen, reconfiguring rooms, a new chimney stack and staircase, adjusting door openings and windows.
They also won permission to change the front railings.
Cameron’s applications had been hotly contested by The Highgate Society and the Highgate Conservation Area Advisory Committee (HCAAC).
The society says that it “strongly objects” with the application changing the house “unnecessarily, and in a derogatory manner, alter the frontages of one of the finest rows of houses in the Highgate Conservation Area.”
The society raises the issue that the basement could cause structural issues after problems with work at the nearby historic Witanhurst Mansion, owned by Russian oligarch Andrei Guryev and the second largest private residence in London after Buckingham Palace.
“Given that the owners of some properties in The Grove believe that problems have arisen as a result of the basement works at Witanhurst, we would urge the Council to instruct an independent audit of the proposals,” the group states in a letter of objection.
The HCAAC submitted a complaint, saying: “We are very concerned that what is being proposed in respect of the front of the property adversely affects the harmony and the setting of the important listed buildings in the row on The Grove and does not enhance the character and appearance of the Highgate Conservation Area.”
Cameron was delighted with the house purchase, with the married father-of-three telling the Daily Mail at the time: “It’s a beautiful property, stunning and I’m looking forward to living there. I’m also a huge George Michael fan so that makes it even better.”
Millionaire businessman Cameron founded medical communications firm Nucleus Global, which was sold in November 2020, and had 800 employees and 14 offices across the US, Europe and Asia.
He’s regularly featured in The Sunday Times Rich List for wealthy figures in the pharmaceutical industry and, in 2020, was estimated to be worth £171 million, which was before the sale of his company.