Three Degrees singer Sheila Ferguson is battling a property development she claims threatens to destroy her priceless collection of musical memorabilia.
The Seventies soul diva, who famously danced on stage with Prince Charles after performing at his 30th birthday party, stores decades worth of mementoes from her career in garages near her former home on the banks of the Thames.
However a multi-million-pound redevelopment project on the adjoining property has blocked the garages and may cause them to collapse, according to the singer and her ex-husband, businessman Christopher Robinson.
They have joined forces again to battle developer Gordon Naylor after he started demolishing the £1.4million house behind the garages, as well as digging out land around them, to build a luxury four-bedroom riverside home.
Sheila Ferguson (pictured in January 2017) is battling a property development she claims threatens to destroy her priceless collection of musical memorabilia
Philadelphia-born Miss Ferguson, 72, was a member of The Three Degrees from 1966 to 1986, singing lead vocals on some of their best-known songs, including their 1974 number one hit When Will I See You Again?
She was one of Prince Charles’s favourite singers and the girl group performed at his request at his 30th birthday party in 1978, when he danced with her on stage. She recently said in a TV interview that she exchanged letters with Charles, but denied rumours they were romantically involved, adding that she ‘didn’t want to be a notch on his bedpost’.
The singer later pursued a solo career and married property developer Mr Robinson in 1980, settling in Bray, Berkshire, and having two daughters, before they divorced in 2004. She remains a familiar figure on television screens in her adopted country, appearing on Loose Women and reality shows I’m A Celebrity and The Real Marigold Hotel.
Ms Ferguson (pictured far right) was one of Prince Charles’ favourite singers, and The Three Degrees performed at his request at his 30th birthday party in 1978 (pictured)
After she and her ex-husband Christopher Robinson moved out of their martial home in Bray, Berkshire, following their split in 2004, she kept two garages (pictured) to store her things
According to court documents, Mr Naylor has planning permission to redevelop the site, including putting up a brand new house in the affluent private road in Bray, home to Heston Blumenthal’s famous Michelin-starred The Fat Duck gastropub.
And by the end of last month, his workmen had begun excavating immediately next to and behind the walls of the garages, digging to a level below their foundations.
Nicholas Isaac QC told a hearing at Central London County Court the demolition work is ‘clearly threatening the structural integrity’ of Miss Ferguson’s garages. He added: ‘She is a former member of The Three Degrees and stores albums and memorabilia there.’
Mr Naylor plans to demolish the house behind the garages and dig out the land to build a multi-million pound four-bedroom home (impression pictured) near the banks of the River Thames
Pictured is an impression of the property Gordon Naylor wants to build behind the garages
The building project, the barrister said, has left the garages ‘exposed to the elements or inadequately protected’. In addition, a fence has been erected and building materials piled up, stopping the ex-couple from being able to get to their property.
They also claim that work on the site started in November without a valid party wall agreement in place – a legal document which sets out the respective rights and responsibilities of a property owner during building works and those of the owners of adjacent buildings.
The ex-couple have applied for a court order which would see the work stopped until they have agreed exactly what it will entail.
Mr Isaac claimed that Mr Naylor – who was not in court or represented by lawyers – had shown a ‘wholesale disregard’ for his obligations under the Party Wall Act.
An aerial view shows the house that Mr Naylor plans to demolish with the garages behind (pictured to the left of the main house)
Ms Ferguson (pictured in 2017) remains a familiar figure on television screens, appearing on Loose Women and reality shows I’m A Celebrity and The Real Marigold Hotel
The QC asked for a court order to halt the work until the neighbours have settled their disagreements and to prevent Mr Naylor or his contractors from obstructing access to the garages. He said it was ‘difficult to reach any conclusion other than Mr Naylor has cynically decided to ignore his obligations under the act simply because he considers it is more convenient, and presumably profitable, for him to act in that way’.
Judge Nicholas Parfitt ordered that Mr Naylor allows access by the former couple’s surveyor into the garages to evaluate the risks to their property. He adjourned a hearing on the application for a full injunction until a later date.