The Grand Tour host James May’s £3million superhome is STILL under construction as builders continue making finishing touches to the west London property
- James May, 56, bulldozed two cottages on the existing site to build space big enough to house his vehicles
- The build, which initially looked as though it would be completed before end of lockdown, has slowed down
- Recent pictures of the site in west London show that it is still decked out with numerous building materials
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James May’s £3million superhome is still under construction as builders continue putting the finishing touches to the west London property.
The Grand Tour host, 56, bulldozed two cottages on the existing site in order to build a space big enough to house his vast motorbike and luxury car collection.
But the building work, which initially looked as though it would be completed before the end of lockdown, appears to have slowed down.
James May’s £3million superhome is still under construction as builders continue putting the finishing touches to the west London property
The Grand Tour host, 56, bulldozed two cottages on the existing site in west London to build a space big enough to house his vast motorbike and luxury car collection. Pictured: Plans outlined in red show the area of May’s property that was bulldozed before the rebuilding job began
Recent pictures of the site show that it is still decked out with numerous building materials despite brand new glass and brick work on show.
May, who is worth an estimated £10million, bought the house in 2000 for £325,000 and the adjoining semi-derelict commercial property five years ago for £310,000, both of which were demolished for the build.
It is still anticipated that the work will conclude later this year for May and his partner, dance critic Sarah Frater, to move back in.
The 56-year-old moved all of his luxury cars and motorbikes around the corner from the site in a conservation area in Hammersmith, West London.
Recent pictures of the site show that it is still decked out with numerous building materials despite brand new glass and brick facade on show
Plans approved by the council for May’s new London home show it will be six per cent larger than the demolished old property, with an extra floor on the two side wings
He has 40 motorbikes, a Rolls-Royce, limited edition Ferrari 458 Speciale, Porsche 911 and Fiat Panda for running around town, which will all be kept at the new property.
The new home will be six per cent larger than May’s existing property with an extra floor on the two side wings.
May, who is nicknamed ‘Captain Slow’ for his genteel driving style, lived up to his Mr Nice Guy image and avoided a bruising battle with his neighbours by constantly including them in the planning process.
May (pictured), who’s worth an estimated £10m, avoided any planning disputes by consulting neighbours at every turn and was described by one as ‘a delight’
One previously said: ‘I couldn’t wish for a better neighbour than James. He is a delight and has involved us all at every step of the way.
His next-door-neighbour Cathy Lewis agreed: ‘James has been really good and given us lots of information.
‘This will be really good for our street, will be a big improvement on what was there before and the designs are sympathetic to the area.
‘We know it will take a long time with a lot of disruption, but so far, the builders have been great.
‘The new house will look fabulous.’
He held a consultation meeting with his neighbours in 2015 as he was finalizing the plans in order to appease any concerns they had around being overlooked as the new property has an extra floor on two wings and is six per cent larger all round.
May had planning permission approved in 2016 and has put in a series of amendments since then to ensure residents’ views were taken into account and to ensure the new property will fit in with a street where some homes were built in the 1840s.
In 2013, May said he planned to embark on the improvements in order to appease his partner.
‘The permanent and fragrant presence of Woman demands something a bit better,’ he said.
He also admitted he would save himself money as there is no VAT on new-builds.
May’s approved plans to the 1950s-home are to change use of one property from commercial use to residential, demolition of the properties to rebuild into one two-storey building with a garage on the ground floor.