Peter Gabriel sues builders for £1.5m

Rock star Peter Gabriel is suing a building firm for £1.5 million because of delays which have left him unable to move into his home for 12 years.

He claims that all the work carried out by London-based quantity surveyor Boyden & Co has had to be demolished, preventing him from moving into his £5million Georgian townhouse in Notting Hill.

Gabriel, 53, wanted to convert the former freemasons' centre into his ideal home. The changes included a recording studio, meditation centre and a swimming pool that converts into a theatre.

However, the singer's plans have been plagued by mishaps since he bought the property in 1991.

And despite being worth an estimated £40 million, Gabriel says he took a mortgage out on the property to pay for the continuing building work.

He said: "They might try to call me too much of a perfectionist but almost everything was done wrong. It has been a nightmare right from the beginning - there have been all sorts of problems and lots of arguments. I just could not keep on top of them and lots of things were done wrong".

Some of the star's plans angered neighbours, such as the creation of a roof terrace on top of the masonic hall and the installation of an air-conditioning plant.

West End-based Boyden & Co refused to comment on the legal action.