'Batman mansion' owner hits back in bats row

The owner of a vacant Grade I listed mansion that appeared in the film Batman Begins has hit back at a council in a row over completing bat surveys.

Mentmore Towers, in rural Buckinghamshire, was served a listed-building repairs notice in August, urging the owners to carry out a survey of the flying mammals and repair masonry.

However, a spokesman for the country house, owned by property tycoon Simon Halabi, said its "own Batman team has already been on the case" with surveys and ecological investigations.

Peter Strachan, deputy leader of Buckinghamshire Council, said the authority's priority was protecting and preserving the "well-loved" building.

"We are also aware of works on-site that have been carried out without planning permission which we've looked into and are taking appropriate enforcement action on," the Conservative councillor added.

Campaign group Save Britain's Heritage said the local authority ordered Halabi to carry out urgent repairs to its deteriorating roof in the notice.

Mentmore Towers doubled as Wayne Manor in the 2005 superhero film directed by Sir Christopher Nolan, and was once home to the Rothschild family.

Mentmore's spokesman said "professional surveys, ecological investigations and preparatory work towards a programme of repairs and restoration" was under way.

"The Halabi family trust remain absolutely committed to the long-term preservation and restoration of Mentmore Towers," he said.

"The suggestion that nothing is being done at the property is false."

According to the spokesman, legal action by Buckinghamshire Council had resulted in security fencing being removed.

"Security personnel have had to deal with intrusions and the police have been contacted on numerous occasions," he added.

The mansion, near Leighton Buzzard, is the only surviving major work in Britain by Crystal Palace designer Joseph Paxton and Save Britain's Heritage said it was also appears in the war film Pressure which is in UK cinemas this week.

It lists the property, built between 1852 and 1854, as in "very bad" condition and records its vulnerability as "high".

If the notice is not dealt with, the council could seek government approval to acquire the mansion, subject to further legal action.

The council said bat surveys should be completed by August 2027 and, once works begin, the council and Historic England officers must be allowed to inspect the building weekly.

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