And finally… Londoners to be hit with UK’s first tax on basement extensions
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Wealthy London homeowners planning to dig underground extensions are to be hit by Britain’s first “basement tax” in a fresh crackdown on so-called iceberg homes, according to the London Evening Standard.
Under new rules, residents in Westminster will have to pay an average levy of £8,000 to secure planning permission for the subterranean excavations.
The money raised will pay for a basement enforcement team of 15 officials who will monitor whether construction work complies with restrictions on noise, working hours and number of truck deliveries.
The “sub squad” will also act as a point of contact for complaints about neighbours carrying out nuisance work. The move follows a surge in the number of planning applications for vast basements, some with facilities such as swimming pools, saunas, gyms and cinema rooms over the past decade.
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