Ardmore Construction Group Placed Into Administration Today
Ardmore Construction Group is being placed into administration today, and major London sites were shut down this morning as the company moved through the courts. The action follows missed payments to staff and subcontractors and leaves more than 100 staff exposed.
The group had £350m turnover and was delivering around 10 major projects across London when it failed. Those projects included luxury hotel developments in Mayfair and Kensington, two residential tower schemes and a major life sciences laboratory campus at King’s Cross.
Ardmore Major Projects Among Firms
Ardmore Major Projects, Ardmore Hotels & Commercial, Ardmore Regeneration, Ardmore Fitout and Landmark Facades are among the businesses caught in the administration. The collapse hits the operating arms that were carrying live work across the capital, with clients now facing a search for replacement contractors.
Nearly a year ago, Ardmore Construction, the original contracting arm, was placed into administration in an attempt to ringfence the wider group from future claims. That move did not stop the pressure from building-liability claims tied to historic residential developments and fire safety remediation after post-Grenfell regulatory changes.
High Court Liability Ruling
The pressure increased after the High Court ruled that Building Liability Orders introduced under the Building Safety Act 2022 could be used to extend liability for building defects beyond the original contractor to parent companies and associated businesses in the same corporate group. Ardmore had intended to appeal that judgment, while several major house builders, including Barratt, Taylor Wimpey and Bellway, have been pursuing major claims against the group.
The wider Ardmore Group has not entered administration but has applied to enter a moratorium process, which will let it keep trading while its position is reviewed. For staff, subcontractors and clients tied to the shuttered sites, the immediate issue is whether work can be restarted under new control or whether delays run until replacement contractors are in place.
