It is the sort of dilemma only a property tycoon would face. How to connect the underground car museum to the two swimming pools, dance studio, gym and cinema, not to mention the servants’ quarters and the rest of the house?
Christian Candy, the billionaire developer, has just been given the green light for his solution — to dig two huge tunnels connecting his £150 million estate, known as Candyland.
To the chagrin of his neighbours in Egham, Surrey, Candy has won permission not only to construct the tunnels but also to demolish a gatehouse and stables and replace them with a new building and garage.
Candy, 46, has amassed a fortune of more than £600 million since starting out in property management with his brother Nick by renovating a one-bedroom flat purchased with a loan from their grandmother which they sold for £50,000 profit. He is no longer involved with the business they started and lives at his estate with his wife, Emily Crompton-Candy, and their twins, Isabella and Cayman, eight.
The brothers are thought to be worth £1.5 billion and own yachts, private jets and a powerboat called Catch Me If You Candy.
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Candy bought four properties next to his home to create the estate. Last year Runnymede council allowed him to build an underground car museum for 57 vehicles. It has now given permission for a 20m tunnel from the basement of his main home to connect one end of the museum to the bottom floor, which houses a 25-metre pool, gym, massage and steam room. He can also build another tunnel to an outhouse holding a cinema and dance studio, as well as another pool and spa.
His architects, XAB, said that the gatehouse would be knocked down and replaced with a one-bedroom cottage. “The new house is neoclassical in style and the floor plan and form of the building reflect the simplicity and traditional values of this approach,” the design statement said.
However, objectors are likely to be dismayed by the council’s decision. One complained that when Candy excavated his car museum in 2017 there was environmental damage and additional traffic in the area.
Runnymede council said that its approval came with conditions including installing charging points for electric vehicles, making sure that the development used low carbon technology and ensuring the protection of bats in trees.
