Latest news with #propertytycoon
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Inside abandoned $84m mansion ‘bigger than Buckingham Palace'
A £40 million ($A84 million) mansion once said to be the most expensive private house built in Britain for a century remains unfinished – 40 years after work first started. Hamilton Palace near Uckfield in East Sussex is owned by notorious property tycoon Nicholas van Hoogstraten and is bigger than Buckingham Palace, The Sun reports. Mr Van Hoogstraten was once dubbed Britain's youngest millionaire and has been locked in a dispute with neighbours of the property for decades. But, 40 years after work on the enormous £40 million ($A84 million) mansion began in 1985, it remains no more than a huge shell and has been dubbed the 'Ghost House of Sussex'. After work halted in 2001, the property was mostly abandoned, unfinished and is surrounded by acres of countryside. It's been the subject of immense investment despite the fact that no one has ever lived in it. Despite its scale, there is little to hint at its presence. It is hidden away from an unassuming junction on the south of Uckfield and the house is completely obscured by a thick wooded area. The closest glimpse you can get on foot is of a gated entrance onto the estate that gives nothing away, aside from a bricked unit and a large, white container. But there is a definite sense of unease. It has been reported that stuck on the gate is a sign, written in capital letters. It states: 'High Cross Estate, Private Property, Keep Out.' If that's not enough, multiple other signs reportedly warn of 'shooting in progress', 'dogs running free' and CCTV being in operation. The only recent photographs of the property have been taken by drones and older photographs taken on site apparently when work was still ongoing. Those photos show an eerie building, shrouded in scaffolding and overgrowing foliage, with discarded containers, construction equipment and other items littered throughout the grounds. It doesn't look like anything has happened at the site for a long time. Few have been inside, but one reporter who did in 2000 when it was said to be two years off completion, described a grand central staircase and reception hall, with lift shafts already installed and expensive stone balustrades and pillars. Low-level lighting had been installed on the roof, where there was to be a garden, and there was space for a fountain below. One entire floor was due to house Mr van Hoogstraten's art collection. Today, the domed roof of the main building still rises over the top of the tree line and remains visible from a distance from the nearest set of houses in the hamlet of Palehouse Common. Locals have previously vented about the large area being left unused and there was a row over a public footpath that ran through it that Mr van Hoogstraten did not want to be used. In answer to those complaints, he was quoted as saying 'even the most moronic of peasants would be able to see … that we have been busy landscaping the grounds of the palace so as to prepare for scheduled works'. And he has also denied that the house is falling apart. He added: 'Hamilton Palace is far from 'crumbling' and was built to last for at least 2,000 years. 'The scaffolding only remains as a part of ongoing routine maintenance such a property would require until completion.' It has been reported the estate is now owned by his children through the company Messina Investments.
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Holly Valance and Nick Candy divorce turns messy as former soap star threatens to take him 'for every penny'
Holly Valance 's shock split from billionaire property tycoon Nick Candy is set to get messy, according to new reports. It was revealed last week that the former Neighbours star, 42, had parted ways with her businessman husband, 52, after 13 years of marriage. Now, friends close to the former pop star have claimed Valance has vowed to 'take every penny' from Candy, in what is shaping up to be an acrimonious split. 'Holly is incredibly upset. Her main concern is, and always will be, for their two daughters,' a source told The Sun this week. 'But when it comes to the divorce, she's made it clear she wants what she's owed and will take Nick for every penny. She insists that she is the injured party in this.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Holly, who is understood to have signed a pre-nuptial agreement before her lavish 2012 Beverly Hills wedding, stands to walk away with millions. 'It's been a very painful time for Holly and she has told friends that the split was not on her terms,' they said. 'Whatever the sum ends up being, it will be in the tens of millions of pounds.' It comes after the former Neighbours star was spotted for the first time without her wedding ring. Holly was seen last Saturday arriving solo from a flight at Heathrow's Terminal 5 in west London without her sparkler. The couple are parents to daughters Luka, 11, and Nova, seven, and friends say the pair's priority has always been their daughters and will continue to be so during this very 'difficult period'. A source told MailOnline: 'They have been living separate lives for a long time, he's travelling a lot. 'Nick has businesses in Dubai and London, The Reform Party.' A family friend added to The Sun – who first reported the couple's split: 'The joint parenting of their two amazing daughters remains their top priority. 'They've had to juggle a demanding lifestyle. Between family, public life, and Nick's intense work commitments, it's been a tough balance.' The estranged couple were last pictured together in March as they enjoyed a swanky lunch in London. A spokesman for the couple said: 'This is a private matter and we will not be making any further comment.' They wed in 2012 in a lavish £3million (AUD$6.2 million) ceremony with guests including Sir Elton John, Simon Cowell, as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Together they have enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and previously lived in a two-storey Hyde Park penthouse worth £175million (AUD$364.4 million), making it Britain's most expensive flat. The pair later downsized to a £10million (AUD$20.8 million) countryside mansion in the Cotswolds, which they have been renovating. In 2020, Mr Candy gifted his wife a £26million (AUD$54.1 million) superyacht, despite the mother-of-two having spoken in the past of suffering from sea sickness. The businessman, who previously poured millions into Conservative coffers, became Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's party treasurer earlier this year. Both he and his former singer and actress wife have made little secret of their support for Mr Farage – and joined him and Donald Trump for dinner in 2022 at the current US President's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. She also hosted fundraisers for Reform and they were in the audience when Mr Farage returned as party leader last year. Valance launched her acting career in 1999 and played Felicity Scully in Neighbours until 2002. The Melbourne-born actress later moved to America and starred in several popular US movies and TV shows, including Taken, Entourage and Prison Break. She also topped the UK singles chart in 2002 with Kiss Kiss, following it up with Down Boy which reached number two and State Of Mind which made eighth place. She semi-retired from the acting industry in 2015, although she made a brief cameo on Neighbours in 2022. Holly raised eyebrows last year after slamming Greta Thunberg as a 'demonic little gremlin' as she claimed Australia has become 'too woke' in a TV interview. Holly criticised climate activist Thunberg to podcast host Christopher Hope, saying: 'I don't understand why you have this, like, demonic little gremlin high priestess of climatism as the goddess in classrooms, Greta.
CNA
25-06-2025
- CNA
Vietnamese property tycoon escapes death penalty for US$27b fraud after law changes
A Vietnamese property tycoon convicted of billions of dollars worth of fraud has evaded the death penalty after Hanoi abolished capital punishment for certain crimes. Truong My Lan's lawyer says her sentence will be converted to life imprisonment.
Bloomberg
13-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Chinese Tycoon's Son Barred From Leaving China Over Loan Dispute
The son of a Chinese property tycoon has been barred from leaving the country because of his involvement in a loan dispute, a person familiar with the matter said, highlighting the risks to executives caught up in a years-long real estate crisis. A court in Hangzhou issued the exit ban against Zhang Liang last month, said the person, asking not to be identified as the matter is private. The court said that Zhang failed to fulfill a guarantee on a borrowing made by his company, Chinese builder Seedland Real Estate, where he is the controlling shareholder, the person added. The court had earlier ruled that Zhang was responsible for the debt, the person said.
