Yoga-loving architect is at the centre of a very un-zen row with wealthy neighbours after transforming her £6million home into a wellness sanctuary

Published: 09:11, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 09:17, 18 July 2026 A yoga-loving architect is at the centre of a furious planning row after transforming a historic £6 million home in one of London's most affluent enclaves into a 'zen' wellness sanctuary. New Age designer Zoe Chan, 40, has been accused of carrying out unauthorised works at the protected former home of Sir Anthony Caro, one of Britain's most celebrated sculptors. The property, part of a leafy Hampstead complex dating back to 1750, was bestowed rare Grade II* listed status because of its historic and architectural significance. However, after buying the residence for £4.1m in 2017, Ms Chan embarked on an ambitious modern makeover turning it into the 'Ground House' - a spiritual retreat with clay walls, timber ceilings, meditation spaces and plunge pool. Guests could even arrange private Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes at the property in Frognal, a highly affluent north London enclave where detached homes have sold for more than £13 million in the past two years. Yet the home, conceived as a haven of peace and stillness, has instead become the focus of a long-running battle with Camden Council after parts of the revamp were carried out without the required permission. The Daily Mail can reveal that Ms Chan - a holistic architect whose work has been featured in Vogue and Tatler - was prosecuted last year over unlawful works. She was ordered to pay £71,800 in fines and costs after admitting making alterations without planning permission or listed building consent, causing 'irreversible harm to the historic fabric of the building'. Zoe Chan, a 40-year-old holistic architect, is locked in a major planning dispute with Camden Council over her £4.1 million property, the 'Ground House' Formerly the home of celebrated British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, the property holds rare Grade II* listed status, meaning it is legally protected for its exceptional historical and architectural significance In July 2026, a government planning inspector rejected Chan's retroactive bid to approve unauthorised changes made to the roof, eaves, and dormer windows The original ground floor was removed and historic brickwork obscured by reinforced concrete, Highbury magistrates' court was told. District Judge Baker concluded Ms Chan, 'a professional woman with experience in property development', had been 'reckless in failing to ask the relevant question - 'do I need permission?'' Ms Chan maintains she has been restoring a family home that had stood vacant and suffered decades of unsympathetic alterations before she bought it. The latest chapter in the saga emerged this month when a government planning inspector refused to approve a string of other alterations that had already been carried out without permission. The Planning Inspectorate concluded that changes to the roof, eaves and dormer windows had harmed a 'heritage asset' described as being 'of the highest significance'. The decision means Ms Chan now faces the prospect of further enforcement action to rebuild the home in line with approved plans - and potentially another court battle. Camden Council warned in a statement: 'These additional works were carried out to this listed building without planning permission and listed building consent. 'We will be taking further action to ensure that remedial works are undertaken to restore the building to its former condition.' Two further enforcement cases relating to the property are also understood to remain open after neighbours raised concerns about other works in the grounds, including a swimming pool allegedly built in place of an approved pond. Ms Chan denies wrongdoing and says she is working with the council to find a way forward. When approached by the Daily Mail, she said: 'This is my family home, where I have lived with my two young children since 2017, and which I have spent the last nine years restoring. 'When I bought the property, it had been vacant since 2015 and had suffered decades of unsympathetic alterations that had diminished many of its original architectural features. Since purchasing the property in 2017, Chan has undertaken an ambitious 'zen' makeover to turn the historic home into a spiritual wellness sanctuary. The redesign includes internal walls made of clay dug from the garden. The extensive use of British-grown Douglas fir and reclaimed timber 'My intention has always been to restore this Grade II* group-listed building with care and craftsmanship, reinstating its historic character while ensuring it continues to thrive as a family home for future generations. 'Throughout the project there have unfortunately been disagreements with the council, including over previous structural works. 'In 2018, structural movement in the living room floor led me to seek urgent professional advice and, acting on that advice, repairs were carried out to the cellar without first obtaining listed building consent. 'I accepted responsibility for that at the time. The council brought a prosecution in relation to those works in November 2025, to which I pleaded guilty. I paid the fine and the council's costs, and that matter has now been concluded. 'I am naturally disappointed by the outcome of the recent planning appeal. 'It related to a dispute over specific variations to a scheme for which full planning permission and listed building consent had already been granted as part of the wider restoration project.' The Ground House was once owned by Sir Anthony and his artist wife Sheila Girling, who bought it in the late 1950s and converted the former stable block and gardener's cottage into residential accommodation. After Ms Chan bought it, the home has been given a glossy reinvention as a family home with 'nature at its centre'. Clay dug from the garden was used on the internal walls, while British-grown Douglas fir and reclaimed timber were incorporated throughout the house, according to promotional literature. The Ground House had previously been promoted online for luxury stays, photography and film shoots but is no longer advertised for such. Giving the property a glossy public unveiling in a Financial Times lifestyle profile last year, Mrs Chan said: 'I get constant inspiration from my home in Hampstead. It belonged to the sculptor Anthony Caro and straight away I loved how horizontal it is. 'Most London houses are so tall that you feel disconnected from the ground; this is the opposite. 'We called it the Ground House because it's about being grounded, physically, emotionally or spiritually. My designs are about optimising your mental and physical health through connection to nature.' In the feature, Ms Chan was photographed swimming in the pool, practising yoga in the garden and training in jiu-jitsu inside the home with her partner Vinicius, a Brazilian martial arts trainer. She said: 'My favourite room in my house is difficult to choose. I love the kitchen; I spend a lot of time in there cooking for my kids and when I'm at the sink looking over the trees, I don't feel like I'm in London. 'But I also love the living room because it blends into the garden and gets south-facing light - even in winter you bathe in sunlight all day and it feels really good. What I love about my bedroom is that the two windows slide back completely, so I can be in bed staring at a tree. 'Having designed my home myself, I had visualised all of these moments in my head first, so seeing them as a reality is so satisfying.' After successfully prosecuting Ms Chan last year, Camden Council said: 'This case sends a clear message: We will not tolerate unlawful works that damage our borough's heritage. 'Listed buildings are protected for a reason - they are part of our shared history. Anyone considering alterations must seek proper consent.' Grade II* listed status is reserved to particularly important building deemed to be of 'more than special interest'. They make up 5.8% of all listed buildings. Ms Chan said: 'I respect the importance of listed building control and the planning process and will continue working with my professional team and the council to find an appropriate way forward. 'My focus has always been on restoring and enhancing this historic building, while caring for it as the home in which my family lives. That remains my commitment.' She said on Instagram of her rebuilt home: 'I designed the Ground House with nature at its center. Not just to look at, but to live in. 'To move barefoot from douglas fir floor to garden soil, to feel sun on skin, to breathe fresh air through open doors. 'As a mother, I want my children to grow up connected - to the earth, to their bodies, to rhythm, to stillness. 'I believe nature keeps them healthy. It keeps them grounded. 'The house echoes that: soft, sensory materials. No sharp edges. Light, warmth, breath. A space to stretch, to play, to rest. 'It's not separate from nature. It's part of it.' In November 2025 Chan was prosecuted by Camden Council and ordered to pay £71,800 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to making alterations without listed building consent Patrick Cunningham, who worked as a studio director for Sir Anthony, objected in 2021 to grand plans of Ms Chan and her then-husband, the architect Merlin Eayrs. He accused the pair of having 'little respect for the integrity of the original building'. He said: 'I am very saddened to hear what is happening to that beautiful Grade 2* listed building and I think that Camden Council should watch every detail of alterations to this property. 'I am aware that everything must change but it was such a pretty building and when Sir Anthony had the house, he was very particular about keeping the cobbled yard, the entrance door and the two gates that led up to the studio. 'I urge Camden Council to oversee every detail of what is done to this important property which is surely worthy of a blue plaque.'