London - Roman Abramovich, who splashed out 25 million pounds on a Chelsea mansion for his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova, apparently forgot to take measures to stop neighbours from peering down and ogling at her in the magnificent property on Cheyne Walk.
However, the Chelsea FC owner is now taking unprecedented steps to establish the privacy of the delightful 30-year-old, the mother of his two-year-old son, Aaron.
Astonishingly, residents of a nearby block of flats overlooking the house — they include ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Brideshead Revisited’ producer Robert Bernstein — have been asked if the oligarch’s representatives can visit their flats to inspect the view from their windows.
Abramovich’s extraordinary approach has incensed several of the occupants of the mansion block.
As he lavishes further millions on the redevelopment of the Thamesside house, Mick Jagger has the house next door, he has instructed Cambridge-based property consultants Bidwells to approach Dasha’s neighbours requesting access.
Attaching a photograph with the windows of offending flats ringed ominously in red, the owners have received letters.
“I am writing on behalf of the owner of a property on Cheyne Walk which shares a boundary with the above block of flats,” the Daily Mail quoted the letter as saying.
“The purpose of my approach is to request access to the flats to which the windows, as indicated, belong. The windows look directly over my client’s property and we would like to understand the vista from these locations?” it said.
Predictably, there has been a furious reaction.
“I for one am furious and so is my next-door neighbour. We have all received these letters with this photograph, which looks as if our flats are potential snipers’ targets, with our windows marked in red,” one irate resident, said.
“I resent the idea that we are being perceived as possible peeping Toms. It certainly wouldn’t cross our minds in a million years to do so,” the resident added.
Today : Sunday - May 27, 2012, 02:19pm (GMT+5.5)
