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Luxury Flats Face Decade of Pipework Chaos
3 Feb
Summary
- Residents won a £35 million court case over faulty pipes.
- The luxury complex faces a decade of complex building works.
- Laing O'Rourke wound down the subsidiary before trial.
Residents of One Hyde Park, London, have secured a £35 million victory in a High Court battle against Laing O'Rourke South Limited concerning corrosive pipework and leaks. The luxury apartments, developed by Nick and Christian Candy, have been plagued by plumbing issues since 2014. Mrs. Justice Jefford ruled that Laing O'Rourke's failure to properly insulate pipework led to corrosion and breaches of contract.
Despite the substantial legal win, the building's owners now anticipate up to a decade of complex remedial works. These repairs will involve taking down apartment ceilings to address the faulty plumbing. Experts estimate that approximately ten further leaks will occur each year for the next ten years due to the original installation failures.
Adding to the residents' concerns, Laing O'Rourke reportedly dissolved the subsidiary responsible for the construction just a week before the trial in February 2025. Lawyers for One Hyde Park described this as a "commercially amoral" action. The construction firm stated they had made multiple offers to resolve the issue amicably over the past decade, including an offer to undertake remedial work for free.
