The owners of a Chelsea penthouse recently built by London developer Finchatton enter discreetly via a private lift after driving directly into the building’s basement, where an automatic number plate recognition system permits access only to pre-authorised vehicles. If their number plate is stolen and transferred to another car, a computerised system recognises any disparity in shape, colour or dimensions and the gates remain firmly closed.

Security measures are even more extreme in New York. Here, at a residential scheme currently in development with Quintessentially Estates, a private car elevator whisks homeowners in total privacy to a penthouse with an en suite sky garage on the 23rd floor. Nor is the concept considered a one-off. “Sky garages will become increasingly popular for security-conscious residents,” predicts Lucy Russell, Quintessentially Estates’ managing director. “Some clients want homes with the wow factor; others prefer high-tech security devices to be very discreet,” she adds.