A French real estate mogul has been ordered to demolish his $ 70 million faux-Italian palazzo in the hills of Provence after losing a 15-year legal battle over the 32,000-square-foot building, which was built without planning permission.
Patrick Diter has been given 18 months to scrub every trace of “Chateau Diter”, including the 18 bedrooms, two helipads, pool, clock tower, Roman colonnade and orangery, from the landscape above Monaco.
Subscription Newsletter AirMail reports that France’s highest judicial court upheld a previous ruling in the courts of appeal that the illegal castle near the Provençal village of Grasse should be removed and the countryside restored to its original state.
The news will come as a blow to party planners and TV location scouts looking for extravagant locations; the palace was regularly rented out as a wedding destination and was a setting for the television drama Riviera.
It is also the subject of regular posts on Instagram by guests.
If court orders are not followed by June 2022, Diter will pay a fine of $ 600 per day. The court also hit Diter with fines totaling $ 550,000.
Diter’s lawyer said they are considering taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
However, Paul Euzière, a member of Grasse City Council, told AirMail: “That’s ridiculous. No one has violated Patrick Diter’s human rights. During this legal journey, his rights have been taken into account at every step. “