The owner of the infamous £15m stripey house has lost her legal challenge against Kensington & Chelsea Council’s basement policy.

Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, alongside construction company Force Foundations (Basement Force) Ltd, were challenging the council’s landmark ban on mega-basements at the High Court, but lost their case on Thursday (July 23).

The royal borough introduced tight restrictions earlier this year to put a curb on mega-basement developments, also known as Iceberg homes.

Ms Lisle-Mainwaring painted her townhouse in South End earlier this year, amid claims it was done to spite neighbours who had opposed her basement expansion application which was subsequently refused by council planners.

The royal borough welcomed the court decision, saying its policy brought “much-needed sanity”.

Cllr Timothy Coleridge, cabinet member for planning policy, said: “We’re obviously pleased and relieved that the Judge has rejected this appeal.

“Our policy brings some much-needed sanity to the mega-basement mania and finds the proper balance between subterranean development and the right of the rest of the community to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes.

“It’s a policy that has already been the subject of two years’ of consultation, debate and legal argument. And it is also a policy that is very popular and being copied by others. It deserves to stand.”

The council became the first authority in the country to introduce tight restrictions on basement developments with more than one storey in January.

Under the strict new guidelines, basements are still permitted but with limits on their scale.

Ms Lisle-Mainwaring repainted the building in April. Within weeks the council issued a Section 215 notice ordering her return the property back to its original state.

However, the 71-year-old is also challenging this.

A council spokesman previously said: “An appeal against a Section 215 notice served by the council requiring the owner of 19 South End to repaint her property will be heard at Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court on 15 and 16 December 2015.”