Earl makes £100m negligence claim

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The Earl of Malmesbury has launched a £100m action over alleged negligent advice he received on the lease of land at Bournemouth International Airport.

James Carleton Harris, 60, is suing surveyors Strutt and Parker claiming the firm failed to negotiate rent based on car park turnover at the site.

In 2000, National Express was given a 25-year lease at £9,000 a year. A year later the airport sold for £241m.

Strutt and Parker denies liability, causation and the amount of any loss.

'Unique opportunity'

Strutt and Parker was acting as agents for the Malmesbury Estate in 1995 when it advocated maximising the potential development value of the land adjoining the airport.

London's High Court heard how the company said it had the necessary expertise to negotiate leasing terms in what it described as a "unique opportunity".

But the Earl, the seventh of Malmesbury, said he had been deprived of a realistic income from the 12-acre site, which was bought by Manchester Airport Groups in 2001.

A preliminary hearing for the action, which is expected to last a month, took place on Monday.