Alton Towers owner Nick Leslau is told to halt ‘exotic roof garden’ project

The owner of Alton Towers has clashed with neighbours over alleged plans for a £500,000 exotic roof garden at his flat.

Nick Leslau is accused of having had builders in to begin work on the “horticultural theme park” at the 5,000  sq ft Primrose Hill home before obtaining planning permission.

After residents complained, Camden council told him to put the project on hold.

A council spokesman said: “Works to the terrace have been undertaken — we are investigating when these were undertaken and whether a breach of planning control has occurred.

“We currently have an ongoing enforcement investigation. No formal action has been taken to date.”

But Mr Leslau’s wife Maxine denied that any building work had been carried out in the 2,500 sq ft garden.

“I’m actually quite upset about all this,” she said. “There’s nothing up there apart from two air-conditioning units, which aren’t even ours, and some empty plant pots. I don’t know where this idea of a ‘horticultural theme park’ with a swimming pool for 22 people and the rest of it came from. My husband is in the property business and would he really do something without planning permission? I don’t think so.”

She added: “We haven’t got any plans to do anything. We are going to plant up the plant pots and probably have a couple of chairs up there but that’s it.”

A 24-year-old computer programmer who lives in the block said there had been construction work going on for about a year, but added “I haven’t seen any signs of a garden up there”.

Mr Leslau, 54, and his wife bought the flat for about £15 million in 2010. They and their three sons moved there from Mayfair for a “quieter life”.

The tycoon, who has an estimated £200 million fortune, appeared on Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire in 2008. He gave away £400,000 after working with a disability charity in Possil, Glasgow.