It's shaping up for a right royal freeze-out in Hampstead, with even Forbes reporting on the most expensive neighbours-from-hell story in a while. It appears that steel zillionaire Lakshmi Mittal isn't taking at all kindly to plans by neighbour Saudi Arabian Princess Samerah bint Mokhtar al-Saadawy to build a huge luxury development of 12 apartments behind his second home on The Bishop's Avenue. One of the problems is that all 12 balconies will overlook his "Summer Palace" garden. But Mittal's objection to the council is that the plans fail to "preserve or enhance local character". The development has been described as "in the style of an English country manor" (except with 12 apartments, swimming pools and secure car parking). Oh yeah, and "evolving, post-modern, neo-Jacobean". So we can't think where he got that idea. Nevertheless, the plans have - as things stand - been passed.

For sale: £50 million on Bishop's Avenue [May 11]