High Court dismisses Golfer Vivien Saunders’ claims in long-running Abbotsley Lodges case

A long-running legal dispute between former golf champion Vivien Saunders OBE and residents of Abbotsley Country Homes, on the outskirts of St Neots, has ended in defeat for the landowner — with a High Court judge criticising her behaviour as “manipulative” and “bullying”.

The 77-year-old, who won the Women’s British Open in 1977 and lives at nearby Eynesbury Manor, brought two claims against the owners of 20 luxury lodges situated on land she owns next to the former Abbotsley Golf Course.

Ms Saunders, a qualified solicitor, accused the lodge owners of breaching conditions of their 125-year leases, which could have led to them losing their properties. She also alleged they had illegally tapped into her private water supply.

The residents denied the allegations, claiming Ms Saunders was trying to have them removed so she could redevelop the land in a multi-million-pound deal with a housing developer.

After hearing evidence over several years, Judge Karen Walden-Smith dismissed all of Ms Saunders’s claims in a 144-page judgment, describing her as “manipulative”, “bullying” and, at times, “deliberately misleading the court”. She said the unusually detailed ruling was necessary to address “the many allegations and issues” raised during proceedings.

The judge also found that claims about water being “purloined” via a hidden pipe were unfounded, and that any alleged breaches of the leases were either trivial or non-existent. A separate claim that residents had trespassed on woodland known as Jenny Wisson Wood was also rejected on the basis that it was open to the public.

IMAGE: Abbotsley Country Homes Entrance (Street view)

Residents of the park, located off Potton Road, said the outcome brought “an end to years of intimidation and unrest.” They said they now hope life at the lodges can return to “peace and tranquillity”.

Ms Saunders must now pay legal costs estimated at over £1 million. She has previously denied that her actions were motivated by redevelopment plans and said earlier this year that such suggestions were “complete and utter nonsense.”

The court heard that one of the lodge owners, Neil Warren, died by suicide in April 2023 following what an inquest later described as a “long-running dispute” and “significant stress” related to ongoing legal pressures. Ms Saunders had previously been convicted of common assault against another resident, Jill Beresford-Ambridge, after an incident in which she used her car to nudge the woman, who was on crutches at the time.

Judge Walden-Smith’s ruling concluded that Ms Saunders’s behaviour towards residents had been “seriously abusive” for more than 14 years, citing evidence that she fabricated claims and manipulated witnesses.

The site, once part of the 200-acre Abbotsley Golf Club, has been at the centre of tension since the golf course closed and Ms Saunders began exploring options for redevelopment.

Residents’ management company Pheasantland Ltd, which represents the 20 lodge owners, said the judgment marks the end of a protracted and painful chapter for the community — although Ms Saunders may still seek to appeal.

Black Cat Radio has approached Ms Saunders for comment, but is yet to receive a response. 

Carol Berwick & Gini Melesi are two residents of the lodges.
Click to listen to them talking to Black Cat Radio: