Associated Newspapers are heading for a High Court showdown with their neighbours in London’s Kensington High Street.
DMG Media‘s national newspapers and websites occupy the first four floors of the premises and are seeking a court order against gym owners, Equinox Kensington, who occupy the two floors above them.
Court papers just made public say that vibrations from the gym have been so strong that items, including an air-conditioning unit, have fallen off the walls of offices occupied by Associated.
They say that the unit narrowly missed an employee and that things got so bad that staff were sent home for a fortnight, to keep them safe.
Now Associated Newspapers is seeking an injunction stopping Equinox Kensington from allowing intrusive noise and vibration from the use of free weights in its gym on the fifth and sixth floors of the building.
The papers say that Associated have spent more than £17,000 investigating the problems of noise and vibration from the gym.
Associated accuses Equinox of negligence, in failing to take sufficient precautions against noise and vibration, failing to pay attention to complaints, and failing to installing a floating floor scheme to control vibration and acoustic disturbances.
They say that despite repeated requests, Equinox has failed to stop the nuisance, and remedial works have not improved the situation. They seek an injunction banning the gym from continuing the nuisance, and damages of up to £25,000.
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