IBB’s Property Litigation Team Advises in ‘Lord of the Manor’ Property Dispute
IBB’s Property Litigation Team Advises in ‘Lord of the Manor’ Property Dispute
The team, lead by Andrew Olins, is representing Glynis Stanning in her legal battle with siblings David Baldwin and Katherine Barber.
Mr Baldwin and Mrs Barber are using their title, Lord and Lady of the Manor of Chalfont St Peter, to block Mrs Stanning’s development. The title was purchased by their father for £100 in the 1960s and was inherited by them in the mid-1980s. The title gives them ownership of the land and property within the area. This means that anyone wanting to build on land owned by the Lord or Lady of the Manor must get permission from them.
Mrs Stanning has planning permission to demolish her existing home and build a terrace of four luxury townhouses. The development includes underground parking for nine cars which Mr Baldwin claims would involve ‘encroachment on the common’. Mrs Stanning has a right of way to her property over the track which is owned by Mr Baldwin and Mrs Barber. They say that she cannot use that right of way for building purposes and dispute that she can pass her rights of way on to future owners.
Mrs Stanning wants Judge Mark Anderson QC to rule that she can pass on full rights of access to future owners of her houses without the Lord and Lady of the Manor interfering. Disputing that Mrs Stanning’s project would ‘increase the burden on the track or Common’, her barrister pointed out that the council has already given it the green light. Mrs Stanning has offered to bear the cost of repairs to the access track.
The judge will give his ruling at a date to be confirmed.
The case has been reported in both the Daily Mail and The Evening Standard
Notes to editors
1) Many of IBB’s Partners are recognised as leaders in their field in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners directories.
2) The firm has offices in Uxbridge and Chesham (Bucks). It is a full-service law firm handling complex legal work for both businesses and individuals across four main practice areas — Real Estate, Corporate & Commercial, Private Client and Community Legal Services.
