Neighbours fume at home being reworked into ‘Love Island villa’ with a ‘Vegas’ vibe

Homeowners living on the same desirable street in Islington, north London, have slammed one of their neighbours for transforming their house into ‘the Love Island villa’

Sparks have been flying in a sought-after north London street where locals are likening the renovation of a townhouse to the Love Island villa.

Residents on Hungerford Road in Islington are upset at their neighbour being allowed to alter their Victorian house “with impunity” without following planning rules, which say the homes should look the same. Some property owners say they’ve struggled to make even minor alterations, due to their homes being in a conservation area.

They’re now complaining about “shockingly bright” lights illuminating the front of the contentious residence, giving it a Love Island or “Las Vegas” vibe.

Islington Council acknowledged being “aware of issues” and confirmed an investigation into planning was underway. The homeowner declined to comment.

A resident, who has lived on Hungerford Road with her husband for nearly 20 years, said: “We don’t want to come across as Nimbys. I think we are all quite willing to accept that if your neighbour wants to dress up their house like Love Island, you should let them. But the thing that has raised everyone’s ire is that this row of houses is identical and this is a conservation area. They are really, really strict.”

She alleged that she and her husband had previously applied to replace a window in their hallway landing.

Despite the new window matching other houses on the street, it was initially rejected. The homeowners had to appeal the decision before finally getting approval. Since the renovations started, locals have complained to Islington Council about the lack of parity in what has been approved

One neighbour wrote that the developer had received favourable treatment compared to other homeowners in houses, which are identical in design. Adding: “This house is in a conservation area and is totally out of keeping with the appearance of the other properties on Hungerford Road, due to the developer riding roughshod.”

Artist Andrew Pegram, a resident of Hungerford Road since the 1980s, concurs that the development doesn’t fit with the rest of the street.

He commented: “(The lights) are shockingly bright. A lot of us have a light, but nothing like that. There is a great deal of lighting on the back of the house as well.”

When asked if he saw any similarities between his situation and the Love Island villa, Mr Pegram responded: “I have never seen Love Island, so I couldn’t say. But I have been to Reno and Las Vegas and it is something like that.”

Mr Pegram confessed that he too had faced difficulties with alterations to his home in the past. He continued: “This is a row of houses which has a general appearance which is uniform, and now there is one sore thumb. We are a real community, so we are kind of offended when somebody rides roughshod over us like this.”

An Islington Council spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring that planning regulations are applied fairly and consistently across the borough.”

A Council spokesperson stated:. “We are aware of issues being raised by residents about a property on Hungerford Road, which is the subject of a live Enforcement Investigation to determine whether any work has been done without permission or against approved plans.

“The planning department is also assessing a live planning application relating to part of the works. As such, we are not in a position (to) comment at this time, so as not to prejudice any part of the ongoing investigation.”