Dorchester Project Management Limited v (1) BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory & Property Management UK Limited (2) Landprop Holdings BV

Dorchester Project Management Limited -v- (1) BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory & Property Management UK Limited (2) Landprop Holdings BV

Trial 29th January, 2014

Claimant – Martin Hutchings QC and James McCreath

Defendant – Ian Croxford QC

This claim for well over £100M related to the sale of a major development site next to the Olympic Village.

Martin Hutchings QC (together with James McCreath) represented Dorchester. Dorchester claimed it had lost the opportunity to purchase and develop the site owing to breaches of a confidentiality agreement by BNP Paribas, and also breaches of confidence by Landprop (the property arm of IKEA).

Dorchester succeeded in the Court of Appeal against BNP Paribas ([2013] EWCA Civ 1713) on preliminary issues relating to the construction of the confidentiality agreement. Ian Croxford QC led the Landprop team at trial.

The trial in February 2014 (which generated huge interest in the property world and was widely covered in the property press) settled on confidential terms after 5 days in court.