Mentmore Towers, the Buckinghamshire stately home that doubled as Bruce Wayne’s residence in Christopher Nolan’s 2005 film Batman Begins, could be seized in a row over bats.
Buckinghamshire Council has warned that the Grade I-listed mansion could be reposessed unless a licensed bat ecologist is engaged to carry out a survey.
The council said conducting the surveys is “reasonably necessary for the proper preservation” of the property, which stands accused of being allowed to deteriorate over many years.
Syrian-British businessman Simon Halabi, who bought the estate in 1999, owns the mansion through Mentmore Towers Ltd.
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The 68-year-old purchased the property after it was placed on the market two years earlier.
Historic England has classified the building’s condition as “very bad,” with roofs, chimneys, rooflights, roof lanterns and leadwork all in a state of decline.
Council photographs accompanying the notice reveal cracked walls, shattered windows and facades overrun with ivy.
Bat droppings were also discovered during an inspection of the site.
Originally built between 1852 and 1854 for the Rothschild family, the mansion represents the sole major surviving creation of Sir Joseph Paxton, the architect responsible for the Crystal Palace.
Under the terms of the council’s notice, three bat-emergence surveys must be finished by August 2027, together with any requisite Natural England licence and associated recommendations.
The owner is also required to prove that a contractor experienced in the restoration of listed buildings has been appointed.
Should no steps be taken, the council may look to repossess the mansion for good.
Weekly inspections by council and Historic England officials must also be carried out once restoration work starts.
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Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, said: “We welcome this action taken by Buckinghamshire Council requiring the current owner to carry out urgent and overdue repairs to this great house.
“We urge the owners, who have owned the building for over 25 years, to step up and undertake immediate repairs.
“This exceptional landmark has been neglected for too long.”
Mr Halabi originally envisaged transforming the mansion into a high-end hotel comprising 171 suites.
Those ambitions were derailed in September 2004 when local resident Jonathan Davey secured a last-minute High Court injunction blocking the conversion.
A judicial review subsequently examined whether the planning permission conditions had been properly observed.
In March 2005, the High Court determined that the planning approval was “unimpeachable.”
Despite that legal victory, Mr Halabi’s hotel scheme was ultimately shelved after his property business ran into difficulties amid the collapse of the housing market.
Prior to Mr Halabi’s ownership, the estate’s former proprietors had established a country club featuring an 18-hole golf course in 1992, though it stopped operating in 2015.
Company filings submitted to Companies House in May reveal that Mentmore Towers Ltd, directed by Mr Halabi, is classified as dormant – neither trading nor generating any investment income.
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