A retired couple are suing the Environment Agency for £4.5 million, claiming that flood defence work caused severe damp and structural damage to their historic Tudor home in Sandwich, Kent. The property, known as the King's Lodging, was once used by King Henry VIII to review his fleet before sailing for France in 1520.
Roger and Suzanne Brookhouse, who purchased the grade II-listed timber-framed house in 1991, allege that a flood wall built by the agency in 2014 raised groundwater levels by up to a metre, leaving the building saturated. Their lawyers told the Upper Tribunal in London that the property has 'suffered more in the last few years than it has done in the last few hundred'.
The couple's claim includes £1.3 million to restore their garden and replace a swimming pool, which they say was ruined by water ingress. In a 2023 ruling, Upper Tribunal Judge Elizabeth Cooke found the agency liable for the damage, stating that the works had caused higher groundwater levels and that the building had been damaged and would be further damaged in the future.
At this week's hearing, the Brookhouses proposed installing sheet piles with drainage valves as a long-term solution. The Environment Agency, which accepts liability, argues that the £4.5 million claim is 'excessive and disproportionate', noting that the property's maximum estimated value is £1.9 million.
