DOG TRAINER AWARDED £4.9M AFTER HS2 COMPULSORY PURCHASE

WKD Trained Dogs Ltd, a business supplying trained dogs to high-net-worth clients and celebrities, has been awarded approximately £4.9m in government compensation following a compulsory purchase order linked to the HS2 rail project. The company, operated by Matthew Wiggins, sought more than £8m from the Department for Transport after being forced to close its kennels near Stone, Staffordshire. An Upper Tribunal judge determined the firm was entitled to the lower sum following a hearing over what the business described as the "extinguishment" of its operations. The court order validating the settlement has now been signed.

Wiggins established WKD Trained Dogs in 2010, moving the operation to Brookhouse Farm in 2012, where he developed a 3.4-acre facility housing up to 44 kennels. The business sourced dogs from eastern Europe and trained them for sale to private clients, with the tribunal hearing evidence that Wiggins possessed an "entirely unique" ability to select dogs with suitable temperament. The Department for Transport identified the property for demolition in 2019 due to its proximity to the planned HS2 railway route, which has a projected cost of £100bn. A compulsory purchase order followed in 2023.

Wiggins argued that years of uncertainty preceding the purchase order had demoralised staff, damaged productivity and profits, and left his search for replacement premises unsuccessful. Tribunal deputy president Martin Rodger KC stated that had Wiggins not been distracted by the HS2 threat during the Covid pandemic, he and his workforce would have adapted to challenges and maintained the company's output. The compensation awarded fell short of the £8m the business had sought from the Department for Transport.