Just a little respect
CARMEL RICKARD: Case centres on a budget — and English snobbery
Foster + Partners turned out to be the architects of their own downfall
Every time businessman John Dhanoa landed in London, his eyes focused on a site in Bath Road, right next to Heathrow. For five years he dreamt of acquiring the property and putting up a five-star hotel with luxury hospitality for wealthy travellers arriving in the UK. Finally, in 2007, it was for sale. He paid £14.5m for the site, and set about realising his grand scheme. He wanted leading UK architects Foster + Partners to create a cutting-edge design, incorporating "green" credentials — and at a cost of no more than £70m. Then things began to go wrong. In 2015, without a brick ever being laid, Dhanoa began litigation against Fosters. Via four of his companies he claimed damages of well over £16m, citing negligence and loss of profits among others. After a trial lasting 11 days in July, he has just won the case, though with reduced damages of £3.6m.Fosters told Dhanoa to go ahead with his planning permission application as the design could be "value-engineered" to his slightly incr...
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