It seems every other week plans for yet another neighbourhood “mega-mansion” are lodged at the town hall.

But this week residents living in one of Highgate’s most exclusive streets got a shock when two builds were proposed for the same site.

The anonymous developer wants to extend an existing five-bedroom house, double the size of its 10m basement and replace a tennis court with a new luxury home in its garden, complete with staff quarters, a basement-level second storey and a private access road.

Heathman wonders what former Spice Girl and close neighbour Geri Halliwell will make of the plans?

Certainly her neighbours are enraged by the proposals, and have raised concerns about building two large basements on one site, over-development within a conservation area and the destruction of mature trees.

Susan Rose, chairman of Highgate Conservation Area Advisory Committee, wrote in a formal objection: “The extra house or so-called ‘pavilion’ on the tennis court is back-land development of the most objectionable kind.”

Meanwhile Maryam Mirshahi issued the cry: “Leave Highgate alone! Build your castles somewhere else!”