'Billionaires' Row' once home to rich and famous left with rubbish piling up and mansions abandoned
WATCH NOW: Residents' FURY as locals FORCED OUT of neighbourhood by migration
GB NEWS
One of London's most prestigious address, The Bishops Avenue, is facing an unprecedented decline despite its multi-million pound property prices.
The north London street, long known as "Billionaires Row," now presents a stark contrast to its glamorous past, with £7million homes sitting alongside overflowing rubbish bins and graffiti-covered walls.
Once a destination for royalty and the super-wealthy, including Princess Diana who visited the last King of Greece there, the street has become a shadow of its former self.
The road, which straddles the boundary between Haringey and Barnet Council, has transformed from an exclusive enclave into what residents describe as a constant building site.
A general view of Toprak Mansion on Bishop's Avenue, Hampstead
PA
The street's decline is visible in the daily scenes of discarded bottles, moulding clothes, and cigarette butts littering the pavements.
Where Justin Bieber and the Sultan of Brunei once called home, construction vans and roadside barriers now dominate the landscape.
Workers in high-vis jackets can be seen eating their packed lunches on the ledges of half-demolished mansions.
Several properties have been boarded up with metal slats, now covered in graffiti, while behind these barriers lie acres of overgrown, derelict land.
The weekly bin collections by Barnet Council appear insufficient to manage the mounting waste problem, leaving the once-pristine street in disarray.
The deterioration extends beyond surface-level issues, with ten knocked-down homes sitting on derelict land that was purchased for £70million in 2013.
In an attempt to address the street's problems, the council has introduced double yellow lines on both sides of the road.
However, this measure has sparked concerns among residents about visitor parking.
"It's awful to live on a street like this, we didn't expect this when we moved in seven years ago," one resident told MailOnline.
"All the council does is fill in potholes. I think the new restrictions will affect family who are coming to visit because where are they going to park?"
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
A general view of the rear of the £3million property "Longdrive" on The Bishops Avenue which has been taken over by squatters on July 15, 2009
GETTY
Meanwhile, developers are systematically transforming the street's iconic 25-bedroom mansions into apartments, retirement flats and housing developments.
Construction work has become a major source of frustration for residents, causing persistent traffic problems.
"The contractors parking on the road is annoying because you can't turn left, you can't turn right, we've had temporary traffic lights both at the top and the bottom of the road so there's always a traffic jam," one resident told MailOnline.
Residents blame construction workers for the increasing litter problem.
"We think the litter is coming from the contractors, the people working in all the different buildings because there's nowhere to throw their rubbish," the same resident said.
Another resident complained about cigarette butts, adding: "The contractors are clearly not allowed to smoke on site so we get lots of stubs of cigarette remains on our side of the road."
Despite the challenges, new developments continue to reshape The Bishops Avenue.
A major project underway is Riverstone Bishops Avenue, a complex for over-65s set to open in early 2026.
The development will feature 93 apartments alongside luxury amenities including a pool, spa, physio facilities, library and gardens.
The street's transformation is evident in its changing architectural landscape, with ten apartment buildings or complexes now standing alongside traditional mansions.
Large house on Bishops Avenue, London, UK
GETTY
Two of these new developments are care homes, marking a significant shift from the street's history of private mega-mansions.
Brandon Joyce from NG Tunnelling, who works on one of the developments, defended the construction work, telling MailOnline: "We were doing the roadworks and nobody complained. Everybody's being really kind and thankful."
Trevor Abrahmsohn, Director of Glentree real estate firm, revealed that property values on The Bishops Avenue still range from £4million to £100million.
He explained how the street's character began changing in the 1990s when planners became more flexible about apartment buildings.
Barnet Council has separately announced new traffic measures for The Bishops Avenue, introducing double yellow lines near Bishops Grove and Byron Drive junctions.
The council plans additional single yellow line waiting restrictions from Monday to Sunday on various parts of the road.
These measures aim to maintain road safety, improve traffic flow and deter obstructive parking, according to council officials.
Despite the street's decline, it still maintains some of its celebrity appeal.
Actress Salma Hayek continues to make her home on what was once London's most prestigious address, even as the street grapples with its transformation from exclusive enclave to a mix of luxury apartments and building sites.
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