Architect 'in despair' over noise from flat's hard floor
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An architect driven to despair by the noise of clacking heels on the hard floors of the luxury flat above his own won his High Court fight yesterday to silence his millionaire neighbours.
Leslie Stannard, 61, said he had been driven to "despair" by the din from Mohammed Al Sharek's flat in Prince Consort Road, Kensington.
Albert Court had been "very quiet" and its residents "largely British" when he moved in more than 30 years ago, he said.
"People kept similar hours, going to bed earlier than some people from different cultures do now," he said. "Residents are of very mixed cultures now; they bring their own values. One cannot object to that one must be tolerant. But in terms of our peace and enjoyment, we feel that things have changed radically."
He claimed that the layout of the flat owned by Mr Al Sharek, a Kuwaiti businessman, and its hard floors meant that even "normal domestic activities" caused "impact noise" that was a constant, nagging feature of his life.
He said his family's sleep had been disturbed early in the morning by the sound of Mr Al Sharek's son returning from the casino.
He complained that he was constantly bombarded by the sound of heels clacking on stone, marble, vinyl or tiled floors, as well as the growl of plumbing equipment.
Deputy High Court judge John Slater found the noise "should be included in the category of causing nuisance".
But he held back from issuing the injunction requested by Mr Stannard to force Mr Al Sharek to carry out remedial works in the flat.
The judge said he hoped that negotiations may now bring an end to the row. He added: "It seems that the problem can be alleviated, if not eliminated, by a requirement that inexpensive further works are undertaken."
If the men cannot agree on the work needed to be carried out, the judge said he would rule on the matter at the end of this month.
Mr Al Sharek was not in court and his lawyers declined to comment. Earlier, his counsel, Christopher Heather, had argued that the noise levels were within acceptable limits and could not amount to a "nuisance" in law.