A PROPERTY developer is taking the council to court amid claims it was not warned a patch of land it bought to develop was earmarked for Crossrail.

Privately owned Neptune Property Services has filed a writ to the High Court claiming Ealing Council failed to warn solicitors the land of 267 Horn Lane, Acton, was not allowed to be developed because it was to be the site of a new ticket hall for the multi-billion pound rail scheme.

The company, which bought the land in 2006 for £800,000, had intended to build 14 two-bed apartments and office space on the parcel of land, but later found out it would be unable to develop it because of a “safeguarding direction for Crossrail”, which it alleges the council failed to warn them of.

It wants damages of more than £2.5m which includes the price of buying the land, interest on the debt for the site and projected future profits on the site.

Ealing Council says the matter has been referred to their insurers who are investigating the matter.