英国掀起旧房重建风

For more than a century, Bishops Avenue─a street lined with gracious Arts and Crafts houses close to London's Hampstead Heath─has maintained a reputation as the address of choice for some of the wealthiest people in Europe.

主教大道(Bishops Avenue)位于伦敦汉普斯特公园(Hampstead Heath)附近，街道两侧坐落着很多奢华的艺术品和手工艺品店。一个多世纪以来，这条大道一直是欧洲最富有的部分人群首选的置业地点，曾在主教大道安家的知名人物包括创建了以自己名字命名的连锁度假村的比利·巴特林(Billy Butlin)以及糖业巨头亚伯兰·莱尔(Abram Lyle)。

But recently, the street nicknamed 'Billionaire's Row' has become known for something else: shiny new megamansions packed with toys like spa complexes and movie theaters. Trevor Abrahmsohn, managing director of Glentree International, who has been selling homes on the avenue for 38 years, estimates that half of the original houses on the street─once home to residents like Billy Butlin, founder of an eponymous chain of vacation resorts, and sugar magnate Abram Lyle─have been razed and replaced with such edifices in recent years.

但近来这条绰号“富翁街(Billionaire's Row)的大道却增加了其他的一些元素：光鲜亮丽的新建大型豪宅，并配备有水疗中心以及电影院等各类娱乐设施。豪宅交易中介机构Glentree International的董事总经理特雷弗·亚伯拉索恩(Trevor Abrahmsohn)估计，近年来主教大道上原有的老房子中有一半被夷为平地，被上述这些新建筑所取代。亚伯拉索恩销售主教大道房产已有38年。

One home on the avenue, known as Jersey House, had a discreetly colonnaded entrance when it was first built on a prime plot close to the heath in 1929. It was recently torn down and replaced with a 20,000-square-foot behemoth; the selling agent estimates the original home at around 6,500 square feet. The new home has a double-height lobby, a double staircase that would not have looked out of place in a Southern plantation house and a décor heavy on marble, wood paneling and silk wallpaper. A new basement-level houses a pool, gym, sauna and massage salon. Built on spec by a property developer called Fitzroy Group, the house is on the market for nearly £40 million, or about $63.4 million.

主教大道上一幢名为“泽西宅邸(Jersey House)的老房子在1929年首次建成，其所占据的地块靠近汉普斯特公园。这所宅子原先的大门并不起眼，门口立着两根廊柱，Glentree International估计原来的老房子面积约为6,500平方英尺（约为604平方米）。“泽西宅邸最近被拆，原址上建成了占地面积达20,000平方英尺（约合1,858平方米）的现代化豪宅。新房有一个两层楼高的大厅，一座两面旋转楼梯（如果这是身处美国南部种植园中的一座豪宅，那么这座楼梯看上去就不会显得这么不搭调），装饰材料大量选用了大理石、木镶板和丝绸壁布。地下室含有一个游泳池、一个健身房、一个桑拿浴室以及一个按摩沙龙。这栋房子由房地产开发商菲茨罗伊集团(Fitzroy Group)建造，目前在市场上要价接近4,000万英镑（约合6,340万美元）。

The same scenario is being played out in other expensive London neighborhoods like St. John's Wood, as well as semirural enclaves in the counties that surround London; upscale seaside resorts like Poole in Dorset; and in parts of Cheshire, near Manchester, thanks to the enthusiasm of local soccer stars for modern mansions. Wayne Rooney, who plays for Manchester United, MANU -2.08% and his wife, Coleen, for example, have replaced a more modest 1930s house in Prestbury, one of the grandest pockets of the country, with a neo-Georgian mansion complete with a private sports stadium and highly elaborate statue garden.

类似情况也正出现在圣约翰伍德(St. John's Wood)等伦敦其它几个房价很高的街区、环绕伦敦的几个郡县中的一些城乡结合地区、类似多塞特郡(Dorset)普尔地区(Poole)这样的高档海滨度假胜地以及曼彻斯特附近柴郡(Cheshire)的部分地区。柴郡豪宅受捧要归功于英国国内足球明星对现代豪宅展示出的巨大热情，比如效力于曼彻斯特联队(Manchester United)的韦恩·鲁尼(Wayne Rooney)和妻子科琳(Coleen)就将两人原先位于柴郡普雷斯特伯里(Prestbury，是英国国内最为富裕的地区之一)的一幢上世纪30年代不算非常奢华的宅邸换成了一座新乔治王朝时代(neo-Georgian)风格的豪宅，这座豪宅带有一个私人体育场，并带有一座精美的雕像花园。

The trend was already gathering pace in the 1990s but has been greatly amplified since the start of the recession, when an influx of wealthy overseas buyers converged on London real estate as a haven for their money. Armed with buckets of cash, these buyers tend to favor newly built homes over historic properties, and need plenty of space.

这股老房拆除重建的趋势早在上世纪90年代就已经加快了步伐，在本轮经济衰退开始之后其速度又有了极大的提升。就是从那时起涌入了大量富裕的海外买家，他们都将伦敦的房地产市场视作存放资金的避风港。这些买家都有大量现金，他们往往中意那些在有年头的老房子所占据的地块上重新修建的占地广阔的豪宅。

The acceleration of the knockdown trend has naturally caused concern among conservationists. But London has a wealth of historic homes for developers to choose from─and the city's strict building codes don't protect all of them. It's estimated that English Heritage, the body that advises the government and planning authorities, protects 20,000 to 30,000 buildings in London, which means that the loss of a few less important properties has failed to excite serious controversy, aside from an occasional complaint from a neighbor.

这股老房拆建趋势的加快自然引起了古迹保护者的担心。但伦敦拥有大量历史建筑可供房地产开发商挑选，并且伦敦严格的建筑规定并不保护所有的老房子。据估计，给英国政府以及城市规划部门提供顾问服务的机构“英国遗产委员会(English Heritage)在伦敦保护的故居在两万到三万处之间。这意味着一些不太重要的历史故居被拆除重建不会引起激烈的争议，顶多就会出现邻居偶尔投诉的情况。

'If a property does not have listed-building status, then it is not protected,' says Martin Bagshaw, director and head of planning at development consulting company John Martin. 'The planning system is about enabling development, and if a building is not significant enough to have been listed, then the local [council] has no case to restrict the property being removed.' London is divided into 32 local councils, each made up of elected and paid officials. So long as the proposed new house is well designed and does not overlook nor block light to neighboring homes, it is likely that permission to demolish will be granted, Mr. Bagshaw adds.

房地产开发咨询公司John Martin规划部负责人马丁·巴格肖(Martin Bagshaw)说，如果一座老房子不是作为古迹保护而登记在册的建筑物，那么这座房子就没有受到保护。城市规划系统的目的是为了实现发展，如果一座建筑物没有重要到必须登记在册进行保护，那么当地议会就没有理由限制开发商拆除这座建筑。伦敦被划分为32个自治市，每个市议会都由民选和受薪官员组成。巴格肖还指出，只要提出新建的房子经过精心设计，不会俯瞰到邻居的房子或阻挡邻居家的光线，那么开发商很有可能会得到拆除老房的许可。

Angus McQuhae, a director of Octagon Developments, specializes in building mansions that he has sold to soccer stars, members of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi royal families and international businessmen. He says demand is greatest in London and the most expensive surrounding counties: Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. He says he recently sold a home in the village of Windlesham, Surrey, to a Russian buyer for about $43 million.

豪宅交易机构Octagon Developments的负责人安格斯·麦奎(Angus McQuhae)专门建造那些出售给足球明星、迪拜和阿布扎比皇室成员以及国际商人的豪宅。麦奎说市场对伦敦及周边几个房价最高的郡的豪宅需求最旺，其中包括萨里郡(Surrey)、白金汉郡(Buckinghamshire)和伯克郡(Berkshire)。麦奎说他最近以大约4,300万美元的价格向一位俄罗斯买家出售了一套位于萨里郡温德尔沙姆(Windlesham)的豪宅。

Mr. McQuhae says that for these new homes, custom furniture and 'smart' programmable lighting systems are very much in vogue. Environmentally friendly features like solar panels are also popular.

麦奎说，在这些新建的豪宅中，定制家具和“智能可编程照明系统都算是非常“入时的配置。类似太阳能电池板这些环保装置也非常普及。

In prime central London, teardowns are more difficult to achieve, because many homes are protected from demolition, gardens tend to be too small to allow for homes with larger footprints and the proximity of neighbors means construction is more likely to prompt angry complaints. But where there is the potential for profit, developers will find a way.

在伦敦市中心的黄金地段，拆除旧房相对来说不太容易，因为很多房屋都受到保护不能拆除。且老房的花园往往太小，难以改建成占地面积更大的新居。另外邻里之间隔得很近意味着在施工过程中遭邻居愤怒投诉的可能性更大。但只要存在盈利的可能，开发商总是能找出办法的。

'What buyers in these areas really want is really large apartments and brand-new homes─that is the absolute Holy Grail,' says Ed Mead, a director of Douglas & Gordon estate agents. In order to achieve this, developers buy up two or three adjacent houses, keep their historic facades intact to satisfy the local planning authorities and tear down the rest of the property behind them.

房产经纪公司Douglas & Gordon的董事艾德·米德(Ed Mead)说，买家想在这些地区购买的是足够大的公寓以及全新的豪宅，这可谓是众人所求的“圣杯。为了做到这一点，开发商往往会将两到三处相邻的房子买下，将其经过岁月洗礼的临街外 保留完好，以满足当地城市规划部门的要求，然后将那些并不临街的部分拆除。

Teardowns are also thriving in low-tax economies like the Isle of Man, a ruggedly beautiful outcrop in the Irish Sea. Its independent status means no capital-gains tax, wealth tax, Stamp Duty (compared with a levy of up to 7% imposed on mainland property purchases) or inheritance tax. All that, combined with a top rate of income tax of 20%, makes the area attractive to the very wealthy.

在那些税率较低的经济体，比如位于爱尔兰海中地势崎岖的美丽岛屿马恩岛(Isle of Man)，拆旧房盖新房的风潮也很盛。马恩岛享有的自治地位意味着在岛上不用缴纳资本利得税、财产税、印花税（相比之下在英国本土购房需要缴纳高达7%的印花税）和遗产税。所有这些加上最高税率为20%的所得税令该地区深受超级富豪的欢迎。

Jim Brookman, managing director of Richmond Square, a property developer, has spent the last four years carving out a niche developing properties like Oakhill Mansion, 16 miles to the south of Douglas, the island's capital. He says he sold the six-bedroom property, equipped with extras like a nightclub and equestrian facilities, last year for more than $31 million to a 30-something British entrepreneur and his wife.

房地产开发商Richmond Square的董事总经理吉姆·布鲁克曼(Jim Brookman)在过去四年中打造出了像奥克希尔宅邸(Oakhill Mansion)这样的细分市场产品。奥克希尔公寓位于马恩岛首府道格拉斯(Douglas)以南16英里（约合26公里）。布鲁克曼说，他去年将这处带有六间卧室的宅邸以3,100多万美元的价格卖给了一位30多岁的英国企业家和他的妻子。这栋宅邸还配备了夜店和马场等额外设施。

'I think that this sector of the market has been driven by the emergence of boutique hotels, which were really special and really luxurious,' says Mr. Brookman. 'People who can afford to live like that realized they could experience that level of quality and lifestyle 24-7.'

布鲁克曼说，我认为精品酒店的出现推动了这一细分市场的发展。这一市场真的很特殊，真的很奢华。那些能够消费得起的人意识到他们能够每周七天、每天24小时地享受这样的生活质量和生活方式。

Oakhill Mansion replaced Ballacomish, an island farmhouse which Mr. Brookman dismisses as 'hideously ugly.' The farm, plus 26 acres of land, cost him less than $4.8 million.

奥克希尔宅邸的原址建造的是马恩岛上特有的一种名为Ballacomish的农舍。布鲁克曼认为这种农舍极其丑陋。他说，买下农舍外加26英亩（约合158亩）土地总共花了他不到480万美元。

There's also lots of activity in the Wentworth Estate, an exclusive gated development in Surrey that's currently home to Eddie Jordan, the former Formula One team owner, golfer Ernie Els and Ron Dennis, chairman of the McLaren Group. Built around the famed Wentworth golf course, the development's grandest properties are those in the 'main island,' the nickname for the streets closest to the golf course.

萨里郡一个有警卫值守的高档社区温特沃斯庄园(Wentworth Estate)也开发了很多豪宅。目前包括前一级方程式车队老板艾迪·乔丹(Eddie Jordan)、高尔夫球手恩尼·埃尔斯(Ernie Els)和迈凯轮集团(McLaren Group)主席罗恩·丹尼斯(Ron Dennis)在内的名流都居住于此。这些豪宅环绕著名的温特沃斯高尔夫球场而建，庄园里最奢华的豪宅建在“主岛(main island)上。所谓“主岛是对那些最靠近高尔夫球场的街道的昵称。

James Cleland, a director of Knight Frank estate agents, estimates that half of the original homes on the main island have been torn down and replaced with much larger, swankier models over the last decade.

房产经纪公司莱坊(Knight Frank)的董事詹姆斯·克莱兰(James Cleland)估计，在过去十年中，“主岛上原先建造的房子中有一半已经被拆除，被那些面积更大、更为奢华的新居所替代。

Of course the big question is what happens if international buyers─who currently represent 70% to 80% of the £5 million-plus market, according to Knight Frank─lose interest in Britain, leaving behind them a legacy of enclaves of overpriced property far out of reach of the local market.

当然，最大的问题在于如果国际买家对英国失去兴趣，那么结果又会如何？他们会留下大片定价过高的豪宅无人购买，因为这些豪宅的价格远超英国国内市场买家能够承受的上限。据莱坊透露，在那些由售价超过500万英镑的豪宅构成的市场中，国际买家目前占到了70%至80%的份额。

'If the international buyers decided that they didn't want to come to London and its surroundings, then it would have a huge impact, because there are not enough British buyers for this sort of property,' says Mr. Cleland. 'But there is absolutely no sign at the moment that these buyers will switch off from London.'

克莱兰说，如果国际买家决定不在伦敦及其周边地区置业，那么这会产生巨大影响，因为英国国内没有足够多的买家能够消化这类豪宅。但眼下没有迹象表明国际买家会弃伦敦而去。