Millionaire couple who bought dream Kent home sue after noisy travelers with 16 children move nearby

Jamie and Eda Pierce thought they had found a private country retreat when they bought a five-bedroom manor-style house in Pootings, near Crockham Hill in Kent, for £3.15 million in August 2022. The seven-acre property included a swimming pool, tennis court, paddocks, stables and a private helipad, and the couple negotiated £245,000 off the asking price.

Three years later, they have taken the former owners to court. The Pierces are not suing the traveler families who moved into a field opposite their home. Instead, they accuse Paul and Elizabeth Nott of concealing the risk that a neighboring agricultural plot could be developed for traveler accommodation.

The couple has brought a multimillion-pound High Court action alleging fraudulent misrepresentation and deceit. Before the purchase, they allegedly asked whether the sellers knew of plans to alter, develop or change the use of neighboring land within a quarter of a mile of the property. Their solicitor was allegedly told: “Not to our clients’ knowledge.” The Pierces say that answer was false.

Court documents cited by the Daily Mail reportedly indicate that Paul Nott knew considerably more about the land. In 2021, local residents had become concerned about the sale of a six-acre agricultural plot called Seasons Farm. Nott and another resident allegedly tried to buy it in September 2021 to prevent what they regarded as unwanted development, but their offer failed and the land was sold to Patrick Delaney.

Nott was also reportedly involved in local opposition to possible development and helped found the Pootings Residents’ Association in February 2022. Around the same time, the Notts put their own property on the market, and the Pierces bought it that August. After moving in, the couple said Delaney made several unsuccessful attempts to change Seasons Farm’s use from agricultural to residential.

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Not to our clients’ knowledge.