Dubai’s Sheikh to tear down Surrey mansion and build palace three times the size — complete with pool, cinema, and “party room”

The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has received official permission to demolish his luxury Surrey mansion and construct a new palace on the site — three times larger than the existing property, complete with a separate building for parties, reports the Daily Mail.

The future residence will span over 1,000 square meters above ground, with a sprawling underground level of nearly 1,500 square meters. It promises to be a dream home, featuring eight bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, including a master suite with its own living room and dressing area. The palace will also include a swimming pool, gym, sauna, cinema, parking, and separate pavilions for gaming, office space, and entertaining.

The grand project will take place on the Longcross Estate, valued at £75 million, which the Sheikh purchased in the 1990s as a summer retreat from the Persian Gulf heat.

However, the billionaire’s relationship with neighbors has not always been smooth. In 2018, he sparked outrage when he erected a “prison-like” fence with barbed wire around the estate without permission, cutting down centuries-old trees in the process. Local residents at the time likened the property to a “concentration camp.” The authorities later legalized the structure.

The new plans have also stirred debate: environmentalists are concerned about bats that have made the old pool building their home. Officials have required the implementation of a “conservation strategy,” including provisions for new nesting areas.

Despite the controversies, the project is moving forward. For Sheikh Mohammed, whose net worth is estimated at £14 billion, this is far from his first major transformation: he turned Dubai into one of the world’s most modern megacities, building the Palm Islands, the Burj Al-Arab hotel, and the iconic Burj Khalifa tower.