黑洞社区

Eddy Shah strides imperiously across the dining room of his leisure complex. 鈥淚鈥檓 terribly sorry 鈥� dinner may be late,鈥� he says. 鈥淎pparently, the local chaplain is hosting a rotary meal next door and they鈥檙e having an hour of silent meditation.鈥� He stares around the table. 鈥淢y waiting staff can鈥檛 work out who鈥檚 having the fish and who isn鈥檛, as nobody will speak to them.鈥�

The millionaire businessman displays no emotion as he takes his seat. His entourage look at one another anxiously, unsure whether this is a joke. Suddenly, Shah 鈥� who with his tanned complexion and the glasses clipped to his shirt would look more at home on a Mediterranean yacht than a Wiltshire leisure complex 鈥� claps his hands. 鈥淚sn鈥檛 this wonderful? It鈥檚 just like something out of Midsomer Murders.鈥�

Shah鈥檚 unpredictability is his most striking characteristic. It is what led him to drive forward a revolution as head of the Messenger newspaper group in the 1980s, becoming the first person to invoke Margaret Thatcher鈥檚 industrial laws to battle the print unions, then helping to drive mainstream journalism out of Fleet Street with the launch of his union-free Today newspaper.

It is also one of the qualities that persuaded his wife Jennifer, then an actress 鈥� she was one of David Niven鈥檚 squeezes in the spoof Casino Royale 鈥� to marry him back when he was a floor manager at Granada television in 1968.

Now, Shah鈥檚 energy has found a surprising new target: housebuilding. The 63-year-old entrepreneur has transferred his 鈥渕ission to drive down costs鈥� into development, forming a business venture with his wife to build a 240-acre holiday village on the site of his golf course and leisure centre.

But rather than throwing up second homes for wealthy golf fans, Shah has a more radical idea: he is building 44 luxury properties that he believes, if sold as permanent homes, could be priced at as little as 拢100,000. He hopes the three showhomes already built will persuade the council to give him the go-ahead to test his theory by building a larger village of permanent homes, taking on the major developers at their own game.

Right now, however, Shah鈥檚 attention is on the dinner debacle. 鈥淭hat chaplain wanted to be a resident here. Isn鈥檛 it ridiculous?鈥� says Jennifer, glancing at her husband. 鈥淲hat on earth would we need one for? I think he thought we could be his flock 鈥︹��

Shah laughs. It is apparent that his wife is a calming influence: this is the first time this morning he seems relaxed. 鈥淛ennifer calms me down. Earlier in my life I was out of control,鈥� he says, before adding: 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 still half out of control.鈥�

Bringing down the houses

Keeping Shah in check must be some task. 鈥淢y life鈥檚 been about bringing costs down, and the cost of housing is over the top,鈥� he barks at the start of our tour of the complex, crashing through the double doors that lead out of the dining room towards an intimate bar area. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to exaggerate what I鈥檝e done. I鈥檝e done TV, I鈥檝e done newspapers, and now I鈥檓 doing housing. My mission is to bring costs down.鈥�

Shah, a former director of Wentworth golf course, began developing golf clubs in 1994, but only recently started adding housing to the schemes. He says the venture was prompted by boredom and a desire to find a project he could share with Jennifer who, after recovering from cervical cancer, is suffering from a walking disability brought on by radiotherapy.

鈥淥ur kids left home. A lot of marriages break up then, so we wanted to start a business,鈥� he says, with typical directness. 鈥淲e had three courses, we kept one, and thought why not build 鈥� hello, goldfish bowl.鈥�

Shah, catching sight of one of his female employees working behind a giant curved glass screen 鈥� to him, a goldfish bowl 鈥� interrupts his train of thought to greet her.

This happens throughout our tour: Shah has a word of encouragement for each of his employees, many of whom he greets by their first names. It is a cross between regal condescension and a restless interest: Shah is unable not to get involved.

He has a clear vision of the holiday home, and eventually permanent residence, he wants to build: timber construction is used to cut cost, as well as being environmentally sound (without 鈥渙ver-the-top鈥� fawning on the green lobby), and with individuality. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 stand those Scandinavian sheds,鈥� he says. 鈥淪imply awful.鈥�

However, he is not hitting the council with all his plans at once. 鈥淚f I told them everything, they鈥檇 have a heart attack,鈥� he says, looking through the window at an elderly gentleman running on a gym machine. 鈥淥h, he鈥檚 okay. He鈥檚 had two hips replaced. Off to Kathmandu on a cycle ride soon.鈥�

Nothing seems to escape his attention, which Jennifer confirms. She was fed up with him 鈥渃onstantly gazing鈥� at her across their shared office and had a larger computer screen installed to avert the problem.

An exacting client

Next up, a hairy drive in Shah鈥檚 4 脳 4 鈥� 鈥淭he Bentley鈥檚 my wife鈥檚. She thinks I鈥檒l kill myself if I drive it鈥� 鈥� and we arrive at a rapidly progressing development.

鈥淚 find it difficult to deal with builders,鈥� says Shah. This is not surprising 鈥� he can not stand untidiness and has employed a forklift driver to clean the site after every day鈥檚 work so he and his guests do not have to walk through mud to view progress. But it is actually Jennifer who is more familiar with construction sites. After ending her career as a model and actress when she was 30, she partnered with a local builder to renovate unusual buildings, including a coach house. She 鈥渢hen got bored and did narrow boats instead鈥�.

鈥淚鈥檓 basically okay with builders though, because I make sure we have a fixed price,鈥� Shah says. 鈥淚t means they work faster and get out of the way quicker, so we don鈥檛 end up in court.鈥�

Despite his hardline attitude, Shah has found a few contractors he can work with. He has employed a QS and a full-time and subcontracts design and building work to local firms. Despite being vocal about everything else, he is surprisingly reticent when asked to name the companies.

Shah admits he can try the patience of those he works with, particularly his architect Richard Goddard. 鈥淭hey come up with a drawing and then I argue about it, then they come up with another and I argue about that one,鈥� he smiles. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 like newspapers. What is the point in owning newspapers, or a development, if you can鈥檛 have a say in them? These are living, breathing things.鈥�

He looks across the shell of his development, which started in November and is scheduled for completion in September. 鈥淒o you know, I鈥檇 really like a pyramid one,鈥� he muses. 鈥淚t could be like Las Vegas. And Portmeirion 鈥� a little town in the hillside.鈥� Goddard鈥檚 next impossible task seems decided.

Shah has a penchant for altering designs once they are under construction. One of the show homes, which he and Jennifer have set aside for themselves, recently had a wall removed to allow sunlight to reach Jennifer鈥檚 dressing table. 鈥淪he wanted to have the light on her face. She looked so pretty. That鈥檚 what homes should be about 鈥� making people comfortable. We can do that 鈥� move walls if our customers want us to.鈥�

Shah鈥檚 approach, evidently, is very hands on. 鈥淚 could run a printing press but not very well, and it鈥檚 the same here. I want to understand everything, but I don鈥檛 want to actually do things myself as I know I wouldn鈥檛 be good enough,鈥� he says.

One aspect of construction Shah is not keen to get involved with, however, is the 黑洞社区 Regulations. 鈥淚 have an entire panel of glass here,鈥� he says, waving wildly at a door in one of his show homes. 鈥淎nd they make me put a little spy-hole in so people can see who鈥檚 out there. Unbelievable!鈥� he shudders.

The tour is nearly over. Shah turns to address two well-dressed prospective buyers who have arrived on a golf bike. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e riding that back are you? Jolly good, jolly good,鈥� he says encouragingly, though one woman looks frightened enough at his exclamation to fall off the vehicle.

鈥淒ealing with people is okay but it can get tiresome,鈥� he says, when they have gone. 鈥淚n fact,鈥� he adds, 鈥淚 get tired of most things. It鈥檒l probably happen with property, but not for a while yet, if I keep changing my designs. What do you think of a church-style one?鈥�

Perhaps that chaplain will be put to good use after all.