The owner of an award-winning wellness retreat has been ordered to pay a £90,000 legal bill after a court found she deliberately blocked access to a GP surgery's car park with her Bentley.
A Driveway Dispute Turns Bitter
Joy Jarvis, 74, who runs the Glasshouse Retreat spa in Billericay, Essex, became locked in a protracted feud with her neighbour, GP Dr Reshma Rasheed, 62. The conflict centred on a narrow driveway on Chapel Street, which provides access to both Mrs Jarvis's land and the car park for Dr Rasheed's surgery staff and patients.
Central London County Court heard the neighbours had been 'headbutting each other for years'. The dispute intensified after Mr and Mrs Jarvis, veteran property developers, purchased a former builder's yard behind the surgery in 2021. They planned to develop the land, accessed via the same driveway.
The Blockade and The Legal Battle
The court was told that almost immediately after the purchase, the couple challenged Dr Rasheed's right to use the full length of the driveway. The situation escalated in August 2021 when Mrs Jarvis parked her Bentley in a manner that obstructed access to the surgery's car park for the GP, her staff, and patients.
Dr Rasheed's barrister, Rupert Myers, said this 'deliberate obstruction' caused significant disruption to the surgery's operations and was a 'calculated attempt to deny access'. The couple only ceased when faced with legal action.
Dr Rasheed, who bought the surgery in 2006, sued for a declaration that her right of way extended roughly 30 metres to the gates of the old builder's yard. The Jarvises contested this, claiming the right only covered about 26 metres, which they argued was sufficient until a 2018 rear extension to the surgery was built.
Judge's Ruling and a Costly Outcome
Judge Alan Johns ruled decisively in favour of Dr Rasheed. He found that, based on a 1973 conveyance and over 50 years of continuous use by the surgery, the right of way extended the driveway's full length.
The judge noted the driveway was the only means of access to the patient car park for the 'busy surgery'. He described Mr and Mrs Jarvis as the 'losers overall' and ordered them to pay £90,000 upfront towards the GP's legal costs.
While Mrs Jarvis expressed regret for the Bentley blockade, the judge rejected the couple's counterclaim for an injunction. Further allegations of trespass remain unresolved and could return to court.
