Britain’s highest civil court will decide if the housebuilder must pay £1.7m to Aberdeen City Council

The Supreme Court is to rule on a land dispute between housebuilder Stewart Milne Group and Aberdeen City Council, which is set to be heard on 10 November.

The court will decide whether the building firm should pay the council £1.7m for a land sale.

The local authority received £365,000 from the Stewart Milne Group for the 11-acre plot in Westhill in 2004, on the condition that the council would share in any future profit if the land was sold on.

Stewart Milne Group went on to sell the land in 2006 to Stewart Milne Westhill, with no profit.

Aberdeen City Council duly sued Stewart Milne Group, arguing that the plot had been hugely undervalued.

The Court of Session found in favour of the council and ordered Stewart Milne Group to pay £1.7m. The company appealed, but the ruling was upheld in October 2010.

Stewart Milne Group continues to refuse payment, and the Supreme Court – the highest appeal court in Britain for civil cases – will now decide the matter.

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