Harry Potter Stars Clash with Ripple Executive Over London Home Renovation Plans – What’s Going On?

Legal Ripple
Last updated:
Author
Author
Ruholamin Haqshanas
About Author

Ruholamin Haqshanas is a contributing crypto writer for CryptoNews. He is a crypto and finance journalist with over four years of experience. Ruholamin has been featured in several high-profile crypto...

Last updated:
Why Trust Cryptonews
Cryptonews has covered the cryptocurrency industry topics since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights to our readers. Our journalists and analysts have extensive experience in market analysis and blockchain technologies. We strive to maintain high editorial standards, focusing on factual accuracy and balanced reporting across all areas - from cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects to industry events, products, and technological developments. Our ongoing presence in the industry reflects our commitment to delivering relevant information in the evolving world of digital assets. Read more about Cryptonews
Image Source: Pixabay

Ripple executive is facing opposition from three renowned Harry Potter film stars over London home renovation plans. 

The dispute involves Sendi Young, Ripple’s managing director for the UK and Europe, and her plans to renovate her 1960s one-story home in the picturesque London neighborhood of West Hampstead.

According to a report from the Camden New Journal, the neighbors adjacent to Young’s property include Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney), Imelda Staunton (Professor Umbridge), and Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn) from the beloved Harry Potter film franchise. 

These A-list British actors, along with their spouses, have united to voice their opposition against the proposed home renovation.

Their primary argument is against the house’s would-be modern and boxy design, which the actors find incompatible with the neighborhood’s Victorian aesthetics. 

In a letter to the Camden Council, Emma Thompson said that the proposed design would be more suitable for Malibu than the historic Conservation Area of West Hampstead. 

“This proposed building is as out of keeping with this Arts and Crafts area as it is possible to imagine. I have no inherent issues with modern design, but like planting trees – the right design in the right place. This is the wrong design in the wrong place.”

Imelda Staunton and her husband, Jim Carter, shared similar sentiments, criticizing the “uncompromising and stark” use of metal cladding, comparing it unfavorably to an industrial estate rather than an Edwardian residential area.

Both Thompson and Jim Broadbent raised similar concerns in emails to the Camden Council, arguing that approving the design would establish a “dangerous precedent” for the neighborhood.

Actors Raise Environmental and Safety Concerns

The actors did not limit their objections to aesthetic matters, also raising environmental and safety concerns. 

Staunton claimed that the proposed home would cast shadows and block daylight, potentially harming the wildlife that frequently visits her garden sanctuary. 

Additionally, the actors questioned the privacy and well-being of female students from a nearby school, fearing that the Youngs’ planned floor-to-ceiling windows could invade the students’ privacy and disrupt their activities on the adjacent cricket field.

Despite the celebrities’ various protests, the Youngs ostensibly aim to move forward with the plan. 

Scenario Architecture, the design firm responsible for the plans, defended the project and responded to the backlash from local celebrities. 

“We are surprised that people involved in a creative industry are so conservative when it comes to another field,” a representative for the firm reportedly said. 

The recent dilemma comes as Ripple has scored a win against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Back in July, a US court ruled in favor of Ripple in the ongoing lawsuit brought by the SEC, claiming that selling XRP on exchanges in itself does not constitute an investment contract. 

The ruling, issued by the District Court for the Southern District of New York, stated that the “offer and sale of XRP on digital asset exchanges did not amount to offers and sales of investment contracts.”

However, the federal judge also ruled that XRP is a security when sold to institutional investors, as it met the conditions set in the Howey Test.

More Articles

Blockchain News
Kidnapped Binance Exec Tigran Gambaryan Receives First Ever Hero Award At DC Blockchain Summit
Julia Smith
Julia Smith
2025-03-26 22:11:17
Blockchain News
SEC to Host 4 Additional Crypto Roundtables as Regulatory Approach Shifts
Julia Smith
Julia Smith
2025-03-26 20:30:29
Crypto News in numbers
editors
Authors List + 66 More
2M+
Active Monthly Users Around the World
250+
Guides and Reviews Articles
8
Years on the Market
70
International Team Authors