Multi-million pound legal dispute revolves around clandestine Cold War tunnels in the UK
A retired real estate lawyer, Paul Girvan, has taken legal action against BT Group and Paralaw, an external paralegal service company, over a dispute concerning BT Property Search (BTPS), a solution designed to manage BT's extensive network of underground deep level tunnels (DLT) [1].
Girvan, who served BT Group as a consultant between 2006 and 2018, claims he discovered during his tenure that BT owned the DLT. He alleges that he developed BTPS as a solution to a problem BT had and operated it under a Collaboration Agreement (CA) with Paralaw through his company, Paul Girvan Limited [1].
According to Girvan, the agreement gave him a 12.5% interest in proceeds in the first year, after which Paralaw would take over operational responsibility. However, he alleges that after a successful trial in 2012, he was excluded from involvement in BTPS operations from August 2018 onward [1].
The lawyer seeks financial compensation for estimated losses of £85m from lost search fees and Additional Property Agreement (APA) fees, along with interest and legal costs. He claims these losses are due to being cut out of BTPS operations, which he says generates substantial revenue tied to Openreach search requests linked to BTPS [1].
The dispute revolves around control, entitlement to proceeds, and alleged breaches by BT and Paralaw in the collaboration that managed BTPS. Girvan alleges that existing public search facilities provided by BT Openreach did not contain information about the DLT, and that the search systems were inefficient and led to significant delays and inaccuracies [1].
It was estimated that 50% of the two million annual search requests would have necessitated a BTPS search [1]. The London Tunnels, a UK-based group, agreed to purchase the London tunnels from BT in 2023, with plans to reopen to the public following a £120m redevelopment project and attract up to 4.2m tourists a year by 2028 [2].
However, it's important to note that The London Tunnels Plc and the Kingsway Tunnels are not involved in the claim [1]. The Kingsway Exchange, a part of the DLT, is located in London below Chancery Lane and spans 8,000 square meters [3]. During World War II, the Kingsway Exchange was occupied by the Special Operations Executive [4].
Thatcher's government transferred ownership of the tunnels to British Telecom (BT) in 1981 [5]. Girvan claims he conducted a successful trial of BTPS over the Autumn of 2012 [1]. The legal dispute is about Girvan's claim to ownership interests, exclusion from management, and lost revenue related to the operation of BT Property Search under an alleged collaboration with Paralaw and BT [1].
Girvan is suing both BT and Paralaw for breach of contract and conspiracy to commit unlawful means conspiracy [1]. The case is currently ongoing.
[1] The Guardian [2] The London Tunnels Plc press release [3] British History Online [4] Imperial War Museum [5] National Archives UK
Paul Girvan, the retired real estate lawyer, is seeking financial compensation for the estimated losses of £85m due to being cut out of the operations of BT Property Search (BTPS), a solution he developed for BT Group's property finance issues related to the management of their extensive network of underground deep level tunnels (DLT). This dispute between Girvan, BT Group, and Paralaw revolves around control, entitlement to proceeds, and alleged breaches in their collaboration agreement, particularly concerning Girvan's ownership interests and operational responsibilities in BTPS.
