Wilson Horne was successful in an unjust enrichment claim in respect of land promotion services in Mate v Mate and others [2023] EWHC 238 (Ch)¸which was tried by Deputy High Court Judge Mr. Andrew Sutcliffe KC. The successful claimant was awarded judgment in the sum of £652,500 in respect of the land promotion services she had provided to her relatives that carry on a family farming partnership. The claimant’s services concerned procuring the removal of some 20 acres acres of farming land from the Green Belt and achieving its allocation in the Local Plan for residential development, thereby unlocking the development value in the land. A key aspect of the unjust enrichment claim was the planning expert evidence called at trial to prove the causative effect of the claimant’s services and to assist the Court in arriving at the appropriate level of compensation.
