Parisians criticise ignorant plans for Hotel

For centuries it has been a haven of cultural refinement, a stunningly beautiful mansion in which Chopin composed, George Sand wrote and Voltaire lived with his mistress.

But according to a group of furious Parisian dignitaries, the H�tel Lambert is facing imminent disaster’ as the hands of its new owner, a member of the Qatari royal family.Plans to renovate the 17th-century building and fit it out with an array of modern conveniences such as lifts, air-conditioning and an underground car park have provoked the rage of architects, historians and glamorous former residents, who have taken the matter to court in an attempt to halt the plans.Armed with a petition of 8,000 signatures from concerned citizens, lawyers for the Historic Paris association are arguing that the plans should be abandoned in the interests of national pride.