Dua Lipa takes drastic step to avoid neighbour row as she builds new pool at £6.75million London mansion
POP star Dua Lipa is having her new pool dug by hand to avoid upsetting neighbours.
The Hotter Than Hell singer, 28, has ordered workers to use picks and shovels during works on her £6.75million mansion.
It follows a two-year battle with a local council for permission to build the extension after locals complained.
The new pool and basement at her home in Hampstead, North West London, will also include a gym and recording studio.
Architects will fit detection devices designed to pick up any movement in the earth.
Her team assured planners: “A basement dig would typically have potential for noise and vibration to pass through to neighbouring properties. In this case, as the existing house is completely detached and the dig would be a manual operation, the extent of noise transmission would be mitigated.
“As a safety measure, movement monitoring would be undertaken to give early warning of any building movement.”
There was opposition to Dua’s 2021 proposals to add a pool, steam room, cinema, relaxation zone and a studio waiting area and lobby.
Plans included “a replacement single storey rear extension and enlargement of existing basement including formation of pool”.
A neighbourhood forum objected to the felling of a willow tree — which it said was planted to soak up water from an underground stream.
Locals also warned about potential harm to boundary wall bricks, which are “a very important feature” to the area.
This week, we told how One Kiss singer Dua raked in £1million a week last year from her music — swelling her fortune to around £100million.
She made £21.8million in profits, and paid herself £11million.