The ruler of Dubai is set to build a personal six-storey super car park in London for his fleet of more than 100 luxury vehicles.
The ultimate toy cupboard will house up to 114 cars and have five-star accommodation for chauffeurs and staff.
It is being built by the billionaire emir of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, one of the world’s richest men.
The car park will be built next to Battersea heliport by the River Thames, allowing him and his associates – including his 23 children – to arrive in the capital by helicopter and jump straight into whichever luxury car they like.
But neighbours are worried their road will be spoilt by the estimated 120 cars arriving and departing each day.
The Sheikh, who is also vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, has business interests including the Godolphin horseracing stables and the Jumeirah luxury hotel group.
His super car park will have two basement floors and six above ground, to include offices, bathrooms and three triple-bedroom flats for the drivers.
Though the site is already used for storing cars, angry neighbours are opposed to the car park being built, with one writing: ‘Mendip Road has become the personal fiefdom of the drivers who work from the current car storage facility.’
Another, Jane Helm, 52, said: ‘This sounds like another example of an enormously wealthy foreigner making big plans without thinking much about local people who just want to live in peace.
Plans: The car park would have two basement floors and six storeys above ground if planning permission is granted
Massive fleet: The Sheik has 114 cars that he hopes to park in six-storey building by the Thames
‘The last thing we want is a Sheikh and his kids roaring in and out of a great big car park everyday.
‘If it’s as bad as we think it’s going to be, the whole area will be spoilt.’
Plans for the land were submitted by Smech Management Company, which is also behind the Sheikh’s proposed 16-bedroom mansion in the Scottish Highlands.
Planning proposal: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, one of the world’s richest men, is looking to build a six-storey car park to house his fleet
The planning application was approved by councillors at Wandsworth Borough Council. No figure was given for the cost, but construction sources estimated it would cost about £4million to build up, three times as much to excavate the basements, and another ‘couple of million’ for any finishing touches, making an estimated total of nearly £20million.
However the source said: ‘That’s just the basic structure. Obviously it will be a lot more if he’s planning to cover it in marble.’
Source: Daily Mail