£300k bill for couple who didn’t tell housebuyers about Soho House plans for motel

A couple who failed to tell buyers of their £1 million country home about plans for a neon-lit motel nearby have lost their court battle and now face a bill of up to £300,000.

Philip Ash, 66, and his wife Elisabeth, 62, advertised their property as “a stunning barn conversion with excellent equestrian facilities” in Oxfordshire, and had agreed a sale with Adrian and Lisa Powell.

However, they did not reveal that plans had been approved for a Fifties-style diner and upmarket motel with flood-lit car park and neon signs on adjoining land, despite leading objections to the development themselves.

The Powells pulled out of the £1.085m deal when they found out and sued the Ashes for the return of their deposit and damages.

Judge Simon Monty QC, sitting at Central London county court, found the Ashes knowingly put false information on a sellers’ questionnaire and ordered the couple to hand over £110,000 plus costs, which are expected to be more than £175,000.

The motel complete with pink neon signs spelling out “Mollie’s Motel & Diner” was built and run by the Soho House group, and opened in January last year with a party attended by stars including Declan Donnelly, Jeremy Clarkson and Paloma Faith.

The court heard the Powells had been hunting for their dream home for six years when they found the barn conversion with paddock land.

However, Mrs Powell found out during a pony club event about the motel plans.

The couple wrote to the Ashes in March 2018 to rescind the contract and make a lower £900,000 offer for the home, but the sellers refused and held on to the £108,500 deposit.

In court the Ashes insisted they had filled in the questionnaire truthfully, believing it only applied to the house.

Judge Monty said the Ashes had not tried to “cheat or deliberately mislead”, but it was clear their answer was wrong.

The house eventually sold to another buyer for £985,000.

Read more

Pair seeking quiet life sue over nearby motel they weren’t told about