CONSTRUCTION work on a £3.8m housing development scheme in Wolverham has ground to halt following the demise of a major building firm.
Muir Group Housing Association has been forced to suspend work on the development next to the roundabout at the junction of Milton Road and Wolverham Road after Rok went into administration.
They are currently in negotiations with building giant Belfour Beatty – who have bought Rok's social housing arm in the North West – in a bid to get the work up and running again.
The scheme will see a total of 33 affordable homes and apartments being created on land owned by Cheshire West and Chester Council. The total cost of the first phase of works is £1.83m and is due to be completed in the summer.
Funds to complete the second phase, which includes the full refurbishments of the ten existing maisonettes and the arcade of shops, are currently being sought.
David Robinson, director of development, said: “Work on Muir Group’s housing scheme in Milton Road is well under way.
“However, when Rok plc – the housing association’s developers for this particular site – went into administration on November 10, work on-site was suspended and a security firm were immediately engaged to provide 24 -hour protection on-site.
“Muir Group has been in negotiations with the company that has purchased some of Rok’s enterprises and is optimistic that work will begin on site again shortly with a view to completing the works on time next summer.”
Speaking when work on the development began earlier this year.
Labour leader and Ellesmere Port councillor Derek Bateman said: “Providing affordable housing within Ellesmere Port is essential to ensure that those who cannot otherwise afford to cover the costs of a property can take their future, and that of their family, into their own hands.”
