Shock as housing scheme in Oxenhope is halted (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Shock as housing scheme in Oxenhope is halted

11:00am Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in News

by Miran Rahman T&A Reporter Construction work on a residential site in the district has ground to a halt after the firm in charge of the project went into administration.

Britannia Developments was building 14 houses at the Charlotte Court site, in Station Road, Oxenhope, which is on land previously occupied by Perseverance Mill. Local people say at least four of the houses have been completed.

A note on Britannia Developments’ website now states: “Adrian Peter Berry and Daniel Francis Butters were appointed Joint Administrators of Britannia Developments Limited on January 2, 2013. The affairs, business and property of the company are managed by the Joint Administrators.”

Oxenhope Parish Council had previously expressed support for the new housing, arguing that since the destruction of the mill in 1990 the land had become derelict and an eyesore.

Coun David Ashcroft, who lives close to the site, said: “It’s a real pity there’s going to be this hold-up. We’ve waited long enough to have this land developed and it was a struggle to get a suitable scheme.”

Coun Reg Hindley said news of the company’s problems had come as a “bolt from the blue”, and was disappointing for everyone who wanted to see the land finally brought back into use.

“I know nothing about why this has happened,” he said. “The building work was going ahead very quickly last year, and it looked as though two thirds of the site had been completed.”

The administrators said Leeds-based Britannia Developments has seven development sites with houses remaining to be sold, including three part-completed. They said they intended to finish certain building work “where appropriate”.

Mr Berry said: “Britannia was a well-established business. Like many other house builders it suffered from the downturn. It had made significant losses for a number of years.”