Anneliese Day QC has successfully defended her client in the case of Blackpool Borough Council v Volkerfitzpatrick Limited and ors [2020] EWHC 1523 (TCC), an important decision concerning design life and design life obligations, following a five-week trial in February to April 2020.

Blackpool brought wide-ranging claims that various key elements of the Starr Gate Tram Depot in Blackpool were defective and did not meet their design life obligations, claiming c.£9 million at trial.  Anneliese Day QC appeared for the main contractor, Volkerfitzpatrick, successfully defending the key claims brought against her client.  The lengthy judgment contains in-depth analysis of the interplay between design life, service life, performance and durability.

The full judgment is now available here.