Ripple executive, Sandy Young, is facing opposition from three well-known Harry Potter film stars regarding her plans to renovate her home in London.
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 adjacent neighbors 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 joined forces to voice their opposition against Young’s proposed home renovation.
Their main objection is to the house’s modern and boxy design, which they consider to be incompatible with the neighborhood’s Victorian aesthetics.
In a letter to the Camden Council, Emma Thompson stated that the proposed design would be more suitable for Malibu than the historic Conservation Area of West Hampstead.
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 expressed similar concerns in emails to the Camden Council, arguing that approving the design would set a “dangerous precedent” for the neighborhood.
Actors Express Environmental and Safety Concerns
The actors not only raised objections based on aesthetics but also raised 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.
In addition, the actors questioned the privacy and well-being of female students from a nearby school, fearing that the planned floor-to-ceiling windows could invade their privacy and disrupt their activities on the adjacent cricket field.
Despite the objections from the celebrities, the Youngs plan to proceed with their renovation plans.
The design firm responsible for the plans, Scenario Architecture, 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.
This recent dispute comes as Ripple has won against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In July, a US court ruled in favor of Ripple in an ongoing lawsuit brought by the SEC, stating that selling XRP on exchanges does not constitute an investment contract.
The ruling 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.
