Neighbour sued for £350,000 after sparking outrage by building fence through the middle of private tennis court
Jeremy Cowdrey, 63, is suing his neighbour Vanessa Gibson, 53
Savills
A film producer is suing his neighbour for £350,000 after she built a fence across his private tennis court.
Jeremy Cowdrey, 63, is suing his neighbour Vanessa Gibson, 53 after her actions caused three potential sales of his house to fall through, the producer has claimed.
Gibson bought a strip of land in 2022 which runs through a section of the tennis court next door.
She had complained previously that the tennis court “slices through” the area she bought.
Gibson bought the strip of land in 2022
Savills
Cowdrey, who argued that the land had been used by the owners of his house for over 20 years, tried to buy the land back off her, but she refused.
Gibson, who owns a £2.8million property, emailed her neighbour about the dispute: “I must warn you that in the interim we will use the land that is registered as being owned by us for any purpose we wish.
“Threats and offers of fait a complis [sic], take it or leave it antagonize us and so, so we suggest you change the tone of your emails and we start to find a compromise otherwise we will adopt a similar attitude to yourself.”
“We will pursue trespass on the land and will occupy the land until the matter is settled.”
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Cowdrey replied saying: “I had understood that you were buying the land to prevent undesirables moving in to the area. However, reading between the lines of your messages it now appears you are wanting to profit from it - hopefully I’ve got the wrong end of the stick.”
He said he would buy the land off her and hoped that the matter could be resolved so they could “resume friendly relations”.
The arguing pair eventually made an agreement in March to remove a part of the tennis court and remove the fencing.
Cowdrey, who is trying to sell the home, accepted an offer for £3.85million for his house.
However, the buyers pulled out before contracts were signed.
Inside Cowdrey's home
Savills
Cowdrey has claimed that three separate couples all pulled out of signing for his home because of his neighbour’s attitude.
He is suing for damages of more than £350,000.
Gibson has denied Cowdrey’s accusation and is fighting him at the High Court.
She said she “categorically refutes the claim brought against her”.
The 53-year-old called the accusation “ill-founded and unproven”.