Why this £49m millionaire's mansion is destined for demolition

The owner of this sprawling palace made one crucial mistake: he made enemies of his neighbours

Once the backdrop to the nail-biting judges' houses round of the X Factor, this ostentatious house faces a dire future.

It may look like a lavish Tuscan villa, but this palatial property is actually located in the French countryside, on a lucrative stretch of the Côte d'Azur between Monaco and Cannes.

Perhaps it’s the conspicuous palazzo design, or maybe it’s the reputedly raucous millionaire parties and loud society weddings, but its tycoon owner, Patrick Diter, has found himself in hot water with his British neighbours, Stephen and Caroline Butt.

Diter has been embroiled in a 14-year court battle with the Butts, who were distraught over the constant construction work and heaving events hosted at the chateau.

This week the French court of appeal ruled in the Butts’ favour and upheld a previous court order for Diter to tear down his palatial property.

Now Diter has 18 months to remove all additional structures added since 2005, leaving only the original abandoned farmhouse building on the site.

Most of this luxury estate has been built since Diter bought the land in 1999. Image: @rudyalan / Instagram

According to the court of appeal in Aix-en-Provence, Diter did not have full planning permission to convert the old farm in the town of Grasse into the sprawling estate that stands today.

The project was ambitious to say the least: where once there were untamed grounds overrun with snakes, today there is a huge palazzo with three swimming pools, Renaissance-style cloisters, a tower, pavilion, two helipads and an incredible 32,000 square feet of accommodation.

Unfortunately for Diter, the site is also on protected woodland and in transforming the grounds, he failed to follow the correct procedures.

The house was built without the proper permits and on protected woodland, and so the courts say it must go. Image: @___carine____ / Instagram

At Diter’s initial trial in January 2019, the house was described as a “pharaonic project, delusional, totally illegal and built in an illegal manner” by the assistant public prosecutor, Pierre-Jean Gaury.

The court has ordered Diter to demolish the property within 18 months or face a fine of £388,000 (€450k), with a daily penalty of £431 (€500) for every day he goes over the deadline.

The elegant Renaissance-style cloisters make this a popular wedding venue. Image: @foter / Instagram

He must also pay the Butts, who are hedge fund managers said to be worth up to half a billion pounds, £15,000 (€17.4k) each in damages.

While his neighbours are delighted with the verdict, not everyone is happy at the fate of the house.

The Deputy Mayor of Clichy, Louis-Alexandre Alciator, tweeted: "This Tuscan villa is certainly built without a permit; Is it not rather possible to forgive the owner? We see so many horrors without a building permit, for once it's beautiful..."

Masterpiece or illegal menace, what's your verdict?

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