Premier League-winning former Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is locked in a court docket combat after being banned from utilizing a solar terrace exterior his £3million London dwelling.
Mr Cudicini, 52, who made 216 appearances for Chelsea between 1999 and 2009, is being sued by Haya Property Ltd, the homeowners of the freehold on his multimillion-pound Kensington mews home, in a row that he says began when he moaned in regards to the firm putting in noisy air-con items close to his bed room window.
The home, which the Blues legend purchased for £1.75m in 2006 whereas on the peak of his Premier League profession, is positioned simply yards from Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall and below two miles from Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge dwelling, the place he works as head of expertise and the membership’s “pathway programme.”
But Milan-born Mr Cudicini, who was a part of the Chelsea squad in the course of the 2004-05 season after they bagged their first Premier League title has now been dragged to court docket over claims he breached the lease phrases for his pad in Jay Mews, South Kensington, by changing a rear part of flat roof right into a solar terrace.
The freeholder claims his use of the compact terrace house – which based on planning data is lower than two metres lengthy and huge – is “a trespass and/or breach of covenant”.
However, the previous soccer star’s legal professionals insist his adaptation of the terrace, which is accessed off the primary flooring lounge, is according to planning permission granted by the City of Westminster for works on the home earlier than he moved in.
Mr Cudicini began his skilled profession at Serie A facet AC Milan in 1992, however struggled to interrupt into the primary workforce and, after a stint at Lazio, moved to Chelsea in 1999.
He turned the membership’s primary goalkeeper and was voted Chelsea’s participant of the 12 months for the 2001-02 season, earlier than successful the Premier League as an understudy to Petr Cech below Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006.
He later moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2009 and performed his closing skilled video games at Los Angeles Galaxy in 2013, earlier than hanging up his boots.
He first returned to Chelsea as a membership ambassador and assistant to the brand new first-team boss Antonio Conte in 2016 and is now the membership’s head of expertise and pathway programme.
During a brief pre-trial listening to final week, the previous footballer’s barrister Mark Warwick KC stated he had launched into a refurb undertaking after shopping for the property, which is now valued on-line at over £3million, together with opening up the terrace.
“On 30 June 2006, he bought the home, with the good thing about the terrace permission, for £1.75 million,” the barrister told Judge Olivia-Faith Dobbie at Central London County Court.
“In about 2007 to 2008, he had work to the house carried out in accordance with the terrace permission, creating a terrace.
“The work was carried out openly and with the knowledge and/or consent of the previous landlords.
“From about 2008 and thereafter, he has openly used the terrace as part of the house.”
According to council documents, Mr Cudicini also went on to secure planning permission to create a new basement beneath the mews, to include an en-suite guest room and TV/play room.
However, Mr Cudicini – whose 999-year lease on the house is held at a rate of “one red rose per annum if demanded” – now faces claims of trespass and breach of the lease relating to the terrace.
Haya Property is also seeking an injunction, barring the alleged misuse of the terrace, plus compensation of up to £25,000.
But on top of maintaining that the claim against him has no solid legal basis, the veteran ex-keeper claims it was triggered by his landlords’ overreaction to him complaining about them placing noisy air-con units near his bedroom.
His KC described the breach allegation as “unjustified” and argued: “further and in any event, the allegation was their unjustified riposte to Mr Cudicini’s earlier complaint to the City of Westminster that Haya Property had wrongly placed three noisy air conditioning units next to his master bedroom”.
He informed the choose that the 2006 permission granted to a earlier proprietor allowed for the “the replacement of a rear first floor window with French doors – and use of flat roof and lightwell as a terrace.”
The former goalie additional claims that the landlords in place earlier than Haya Property took over the freehold in 2015 got formal discover of the terrace planning software and in addition agreed to it.
In court docket, Mr Cudicini’s barrister stated the previous keeper has “personal knowledge” of the historical past of his home from the date of buy in 2006 and has carried out additional enquiries for the reason that case was launched towards him, which enabled him to place collectively a “complete defence”.
“Since then, he has carried out further historical enquiries,” stated Mr Warwick, including: “these produced further documents and a fuller knowledge of the background”.
He stated Haya Property acquired the freehold in November 2015 “by a transfer made between the previous freeholders and Haya Properties,” by which Haya was transferred a part of the freehold title.
The case ended up in court docket earlier than Judge Dobbie in a five-minute pre-trial listening to coping with prices budgets for the forthcoming trial whose date has but to be mounted.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/carlo-cudicini-chelsea-home-london-b2926288.html