Ever since it opened in 2011, One Hyde Park has established itself as one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in Britain.
Nestling between Knightsbridge and Hyde Park, the London development contains 86 luxury apartments ranging in price from £6.5 million to the £136 million paid for a triplex penthouse by Rinat Akhmetov, Ukrainian billionaire owner of Shakhtar Donetsk FC.
However, there is a fly in the ointment.
While each flat is adorned with triple-glazed electric windows designed to keep out the noisy bustle of the Knightsbridge hoi polloi, they have become a source of frustration.
‘Apparently, there is a problem with the glazing and oligarchs cannot see out of their windows,’ says my source. The problem is understood to have arisen because the flats remain empty (and unheated) for most of the year, allowing condensation to build up between the layers of glass.
As the owners visit so fleetingly and so seldom, their beautiful views of Hyde Park are obscured by mist. There is a suggestion that the problem could have been exacerbated by ill-fitted seals between the panes.
If flats were occupied and heated, condensation would be less likely to happen, I am told.
Given that £100 million worth of glazing and bronze cladding was used in the apartment blocks to maximise the light, it will prove to be a very expensive remedial job.
A spokesman for One Hyde Park tells me: ‘Mandarin Oriental provides its renowned luxury services to residents of One Hyde Park, and as always the safety and security of guests and residents remain our primary concern.’
But what about visibility?
At least the oligarchs can drown their sorrows by eating out at the neighbouring Mandarin Oriental hotel’s restaurant, which is overseen by Heston Blumenthal.
Other residents include the property developers Christian and Nick Candy, married to Australian singer Holly Valance, who brought One Hyde Park to the market. And almost all of the other owners are offshore and non-resident in the UK.
Kirstie Allsopp has launched an attack on precious celebrities who don’t like being snapped with fans or signing autographs.
The Location, Location, Location presenter says: ‘There’s been a spate of famous people complaining about being photographed and signing autographs and I think: “Oh, shove it up your jumper!”
These people make a fortune from being admired. If they can’t pose for a photo or sign an autograph, that’s pretty poor. People come up to me a lot in the street, but I think that’s a positive thing.’ So long as they are not asking for directions.
