Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal handed down its decision
in a dispute between neighbours concerning building works that
overran by 4 years. What makes this case unusual is that it
included a claim for harassment.
Facts of the case
In 2002, the Claimants purchased No. 105, Lower Thrift Street.
The property next door was owned by the Defendants, who, shortly
after the Claimants moved in, began an extensive refurbishment.
Although the works should have taken no more than a year, they went
on for 5 years, during which time the Claimants suffered a
catalogue of disturbances, damage to their property and
harassment.
The Defendants displayed an aggressive attitude towards the
Claimants, epitomised by an incident in which abusive notes on the
subject of the Claimants' same-sex relationship were left in
the Claimants' garden, refused to provide information about the
progress of the works and ignored requests to reduce the noise
coming from the site and make good
