championship golf course and restored landscape gardens. In August 2005, he purchased Studley Castle in Warwickshire, a hotel and conference centre formerly owned by Phoenix Venture Holdings, the consortium who owned carmaker MG Rover from 2000 until 2005. In February 2006, Kassam's Firoka company was announced as the preferred bidder for the redevelopment of Alexandra Palace in London. The whole Palace would be given to Firoka on a 125-year lease for commercial uses. As it is held on a charitable trust, and Firoka is a private company, this proposal was very controversial. It was subject to agreement of the charity commission, which received 350 objections to the lease to develop a multi-use exhibition, leisure and entertainment complex. On 5 October 2007 in the High Court, Mr Justice Sullivan granted an application by a member of the conservationist Save Ally Pally group to quash the Charity Commission's Order authorizing the lease. Net worth In 2007, his net worth was estimated at £240 million. In the 2017 Sunday Times Rich List, his net worth was £315 million. References External links "Development threat to the palace, where television was born" (Independent article on development plans, 30 December 2006) "Firoka One Step Closer To Securing Alexandra Palace" "TV studios under threat", 29 October 2006 (Account from MP about Firoz Kassam and future of TV studios) Ally Pally faces legal challenge (Controversy over Kassam's proposed takeover of Alexandra Palace.) 1955 births Living people Tanzanian Ismailis British Ismailis British people of Indian descent British expatriates in Monaco English football chairmen and investors Oxford United F.C. Tanzanian emigrants to the United Kingdom People from Monte Carlo Tanzanian expatriates in Monaco Tanzanian people of Indian descent British people of Gujarati descent Khoja Ismailism