In the heart of the picturesque Sussex countryside, there is a truly unforgettable sight: a sprawling mansion that, if construction had ever been completed, would have rivalled even the most iconic royal residences.

Hamilton Palace is said to be even larger than the centrepiece of the royal properties - itself - and from what building work has been completed on the lavish property, it is a breathtaking sight, even in its current state of disrepair.

Construction began all the way back in 1985, but after its controversial owner was caught up in a major scandal, work eventually petered out, and little appears to have been done to the half-complete luxury home - much to the fury of local residents who had dubbed it a "death trap" and claimed the site has become a hotbed of antisocial behaviour.

Criminal tycoon Nicholas Van Hoogstraten is the mastermind behind the vast property, and instructed work to begin forty years ago on Hamilton Palace, near the woodlands of Uckfield, East Sussex. The controversial landowner became a millionaire aged just 22 and his fortune was estimated at £800million in the early 2000s. The so-called 'slum landlord' is infamous for his treatment of tenants, who he once reportedly described as "scumbags".

In 1968, he was jailed for paying a gang to throw a grenade into the Brighton house of Rabbi Bernard Braunstein, whose son owed him a debt. Van Hoogstraten continued to amass great wealth despite this spell in prison, and he has previously said he owns huge swathes of Sussex property outright. The controversial businessman grew up in Sussex to working-class parents before making his millions.

But in 2002, Hoogstraten was convicted of manslaughter over the 1999 death of Mohammed Raja and jailed for 10 years. Raja was suing Hoogstraten at the time of his death over a business deal. He was stabbed and shot at his home in 1999. His killers, Robert Knapp and David Croke - who were found by the High Court to be the tycoon's henchmen - were sentenced to life for murder.

Van Hoogstraten was convicted with them and given ten years at the Old Bailey for manslaughter but this was quashed by the Court of Appeal. The family brought a civil claim in 2005 and the High Court ruled on the balance of probabilities that Hoogstraten hired two thugs to kill Mr Raja, 62. He was ordered to pay the victim's family £1.5million.

Not long after this, construction on Hamilton Palace drew to a halt, and much of Van Hoogstraten's business affairs were reported to have been signed over to his children. These days Van Hoogstraten doesn't call the UK home, instead reported to spend most of his time in an estate he purchased in Zimbabwe back when he was only 19-years-old.

What would have been Britain's most impressive property has since been left to rot, and a bitter feud has waged between locals and the business tycoon over its neglected state. Completing the property - reported to be worth £40 million - was no longer a "top priority" Van Hoogstraten' previously told the local press, but with scaffolding still up around the half-completed palatial property, locals are concerned with the state of the building site.

One said: "The place is an eyesore and a wreck and it has blighted this area for as along as I can remember. But now it has started attracting youths who break into the estate to consume drugs and alcohol. The buildings look highly dangerous and I think it's only a matter of time before someone is injured or worse on the estate."

But van Hoogstraten claims the building is far from derelict and is not "crumbling". He claimed: "The scaffolding only remains as a part of ongoing routine maintenance such a property would require until completion. Even the most moronic of peasants would be able to see from the pictures that we have been busy landscaping the grounds of the Palace."

However, locals remain deeply concerned about the antisocial behaviour that goes on at the property, with one saying - per the - "The site is not secure. Fencing is always being ripped down and youths get onto the land and head to the house. The place has become a magnet for kids with nothing better to do. It is high time the local authority did some checks on the property to ascertain its security and safety because youths who get in there could be killed."

Another called it the "biggest slum in Britain" and a third said to the "I feel the council have bent over backwards for this man because they are a little bit scared of him and his wealth".

Even van Hoogstraten hit out against claims of homeless activity on the property in a cruel rant, saying: "The 'homeless' – the majority of whom are so by their own volition or sheer laziness – are one of the filthiest burdens on the public purse today. The chance of my offering an opportunity for them to occupy Hamilton Palace is just ludicrous."

Wealden District Council has confirmed there are "concerns" of a dangerous structure, which is under investigation. They said: "Hamilton Palace is not located in a densely populated area. The closest public right of way is situated to the very east of the estate, divided from the main building on site by several field parcels and blocks of woodland.

"However, if there are concerns about a dangerous structure, this can be reported to the Council and we will investigate further. With regard to anti-social and or unlawful behaviour, this is a police enforcement matter."

Do you have a story to tell? Email: emma.mackenzie@reachplc.com

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