Friend denies Edmonds’ claims over property deal

A PROPERTY developer yesterday denied he had promised to repay first the £300,000 (€341,000) TV presenter Noel Edmonds had invested in a business venture.

The Deal or No Deal star, 62, is suing former friend Ulrik Lawson, 50, for more than £370,000 over a joint deal on a £2.1 million country estate.

Edmonds and Lawson invested £300,000 each, into buying and renovating the large Wood House estate in South Tawton, Devon, in 2006.

Supported by bank loans, the duo intended to get planning permission to refurbish the property and develop the site.

Bristol County Court heard that planning permission was never granted and when the estate was sold two years later, the presenter took back just £52,000, while Lawson received £300,000.

Edmonds maintains he had a verbal agreement with Lawson to get his £300,000 investment back first — a claim rejected today by the developer.

Patrick Lawrence QC, representing Lawson, asked his client: “Any truth in that suggestion?”

Lawson replied: “Absolutely not.”

They became friends in 2002 and Edmonds went to stay with the property developer after divorcing his second wife in 2004.

Lawson explained that he first mentioned to Edmonds buying Wood House over a game of snooker.

“I didn’t need to persuade Noel into anything,” he said.

Lawson has launched a £260,000 counter-claim against the TV presenter for unpaid work on picturesque St Surf house, in Exeter. He denied the suggestion that he had agreed to work on that development for free. “I would have not undertaken the work,” he said.

Edmonds was accompanied to the hearing by his wife Liz Davies.