Flat owners at One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge now face a ten-year refurbishment programme to fix leaking pipework in the building.<\/p>\n
The luxury scheme was completed in 2011 by Laing O\u2019Rourke Construction South.<\/p>\n
The One Hyde Park (OHP) freeholders launched a legal claim against the contractor in 2021 following years of unsuccessful talks over building defects which were first discovered in 2014.<\/p>\n
Laing O\u2019Rourke Construction South went into voluntary liquidation in February 2025 and the hearing and subsequent ruling was issued without their defence.<\/p>\n
Mrs Justice Jefford agreed with OHP barrister Andrew Rigney\u2019s description that Laing O\u2019Rourke\u2019s decision to walk away from the trial was \u201ccommercially amoral.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judgement added: \u201cThere was no evidence before the Court of any financial difficulty of Laing O\u2019Rourke plc or the group as a whole. Mr Rigney submitted that the only credible reason for the group withdrawing support from the defendant was that it had formed the view that OHP was likely to succeed and obtain a substantial award of damages and that Laing O\u2019Rourke plc, in my words not his, had decided to pull the plug on the defendant rather than honour its contractual obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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