Millionaire wins lawsuit after developers cleared trees on his Lancashire property during his vacation.
Bootle owns a large property in Lancashire, having bought a farm back in 2007. He built a fancy new house there. Developers then started building next door; the new “Botany Business Park” was large.
While Bootle was on a yacht trip, his housekeeper called with bad news. Workers had cut down the trees and hedges that screened his house from the road.
Bootle sued the developers for trespass damage. A judge agreed he deserves money, and his lawyers think he’ll get hundreds of thousands. He runs James Group, an auto repair firm.
He had purchased “Little Knowley Farm” years ago and turned the farmland into a nice home. Developers bought the land next to him in 2018, planning a big business park there.
A ditch separated the two properties. Trees grew on both sides of the ditch. The developers started clearing land in April 2024, and Bootle told them they were on his land.
However, the developers kept cutting down trees anyway. Bootle met with them about it, and they agreed to stop work on his side. Then, he left for his family vacation.
While he was away, his housekeeper called to say more trees were gone. The house was now visible from the A674 road. The judge found the developers had trespassed.
The developers took many bushes and trees on Bootle’s side of the line. The judge himself visited the property and saw the house from the road.
The house used to have trees blocking it. Although the judge said he could not award money for privacy loss, Bootle only has a case for trespass. His land was entered without permission.
The judge decided where the property line falls, and it is slightly different than Bootle thought. The developers trespassed during work, though, as they removed plants from his land.
Bootle might have to pay the developers because he got them to stop work temporarily. The judge now says it was their land after all and made a new rule.
The developers cannot trespass now, but they ignored the property line before. He thinks they will do it again, and Bootle wants hundreds of thousands. The court will decide the final amount later.