Homeowners have claimed their flats are worthless after major building work by a coffee shop underneath caused their walls to crack and floors to sink.
Families living in a former NatWest bank building in Westbourne, Dorset, say they first noticed damage in their apartments, communal corridors and stairwells after Coffee #1 started work below them in February 2024.
They described hearing vibrations through the wall ‘like a sledgehammer’ and believe the contractors damaged the building’s supports, with an estimated damage of £1million across seven flats.
Coffee #1 offered vouchers to the shop as compensation – a move residents branded ‘insulting’.
Some of the occupants
To provide well-rounded coverage and a breadth of insight across various events, we rely on contributions from several staff writers, each bringing their own area of expertise to our publication.





