Stainer’s Surrender?
Has Michael Stainer given up the ghost? Have those tired old fingertips clinging to the wreckage of the Grand finally lost their grip? Friday’s brief hearing before Insolvency and Companies and Court Judge Mullen granted Mrs. Alison Mooney, the Tribunal-appointed Manager of the Grand, the approval for a Final Charging Order over part of the Grand, after an uncontested application. This charge includes the right to apply for permission to sell.
Charges over property are only granted when there is either an uncontested or court-approved debt. In this case the debt arises out of Hallam Estate’s liability for service charges toward the maintenance of the Grand. These were fixed at 25% of the annual budget in a case first decided in July 2018 and ratified in the High Court in January 2019. The total debt is in the order of £150,000. There are also various court costs relating to failed injunctions as Hallam fought against insolvency.
What makes this case particularly interesting and bizarre is exactly to what part of the Grand this charging order applies. The order on its second page (not shown) refers to “Apartment and Office Suite The Grand the title to which is registered at H.M. Land Registry under Title No. K759594”. A quick visit to the Land Registry shows that this includes the following suites Gordon, Grand, part of the Hythe and the Arundel.
The Land Registry shows the following entries and plan:
It might be wise to avoid counting chickens, like Baldric he usually has a plan however bizarre.
He is full of cunning stunts, probably because he’s a stunning……. His latest trick is to claims costs for the last case he lost in August this year!! He tried this in 2017, presenting a bill from Tanfield Chambers’ very own Jonathan Upton for attending court when in fact Mr Upton stayed, very sensibly, at home.