The owner of an idyllic chateau which hosted parties for the rich, high profile weddings and appeared on the X-factor has been told it must be knocked down after being built illegally on protected woodland in the French Riviera.\u00a0 The Chateau Diter is located between Monaco and Cannes and surrounded by green hills and gardens.\u00a0 The property which used to be a 2,700 sq. ft farm now is home to a Tuscan style property with two helipads and three pools which can host 2,000 party-goers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Before it was built in 2005, Patrick Diter unsuccessfully gained planning permission needed therefore it meant that the property was subsequently built illegally.\u00a0 Dissatisfied neighbours of Patrick Diter including a millionaire British couple, launched a legal battle which has now lasted fourteen years after their property became damaged and a tower and pavilion popped up on the site of the Chateau Diter. Mr and Mrs Butt, whose fortune is worth half a billion pounds, stated that they were given \u00a315,000 in damages.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
When the French businessman started hosting parties within the property this horrified Stephen and Caroline Butt, a British couple who are neighbours of the millionaire.\u00a0 Caroline Butt told the Telegraph that she hoped Diter\u2019s \u201cconstruction frenzy\u201d would stop after the desired ruling was given.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The property which was used by film production groups and oligarchs and their loved ones for over \u00a340,000 per day now has 18 months to be knocked down.\u00a0 Patrick Diter escaped a prison sentence; however, he has been fined over \u00a3350,000.\u00a0 But this could rise by \u00a3500 a day if the property is not knocked down by the time the 18 months have come.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The once farm which was infected with insects and snakes had to be cleaned up before the renovation was completed with trees being added to the woodland.\u00a0 Diter said he was given verbal permission to expand the property to what it has become today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
However due to the protected wood, the court have found that a road to the property, a helipad, a swimming pool and 32,000 sq. ft of accommodation must be removed.\u00a0 But the original building that stood before the expansion could remain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
When his daughter was born in 2000 Diter and his wife moved into the property before the renovation took place in 2015.\u00a0 He gained the money for this renovation in 2004 when he sold 20 acres of land to Mr and Mrs Butt, who originally were on good terms with the French millionaire and his family.\u00a0 Caroline stated that whenever they returned from trips to London there would be an additional structure or tower added.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Mr Diter\u2019s mansion has been labelled as \u201cdelusional and built illegally\u201d by Pierre-Jean Gaury, a Prosecutor as it was a violation of the urban planning regulations.\u00a0 In 2016 he was compared to \u2018motorists who drive without a licence\u2019 by a different court official as they said that Mr Diter retained the wrong permits to build, he property on his site.\u00a0 However, Patrick Diter stated that the reason he had been reported by Mr and Mrs Butt was due to the reason they were \u201cjealous\u201d of his property because he had \u201cbuilt something better than him.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Anne-Marie Sohn reported the missing permit to the local authorities after she started to investigate into it when she noticed that building equipment was knocking into the wall of her property.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The property is alleged to have accommodated numerous weddings including, Mirco Bergamasco, an Italian Rugby Player, as well as tycoon Kimi Grover who wed his son with many Bollywood film stars attending.\u00a0 The Crossing, an American crime series, also featured the property in some of their episodes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n