Controversial Derbyshire housing scheme in jeopardy after developer goes into liquidation

NE Derbyshire District Council’s planning committee conditionally approved Rippon Homes Ltd’s plans in September for 180 homes, new access, landscaping and infrastructure on seven hectares of countryside land near Spindle Drive and Deerlands Road, at Wingerworth.

But Chesterfield-based Rippon Homes Ltd recently ceased trading and has been taken over by London-based liquidators and insolvency practitioners BTG Begbies Traynor LLP. The firm will consider identifying and selling off any remaining assets of the company for any creditors while its Wingerworth housing scheme has been listed by the council as status ‘pending’.

Protestors originally opposed the scheme over concerns about potential pressure on schools, medical services and roads and more recently raised questions whether the developer would fulfil its financial commitment of S106 contributions towards community infrastructure to cope with the influx of new residents.

And Wingerworth Parish and NE Derbyshire District Cllr Neil Baker and resident Stephen Squires, who are opposed to the scheme, now fear Rippon Homes may transfer the planning application to another applicant with links to the company so the scheme can proceed - but they have argued that such a process should only be overseen and agreed to by the liquidators.

Cllr Baker said: “In my opinion, planning permission cannot be granted and no S106 agreements can be finalised without the liquidators’ say so.

“Further, only the original applicant can make a change over to a new applicant and that too can only be done by the liquidators, as they now are in control of the company, not the directors.”

Mr Squires and Cllr Baker claim that a Land Registry search revealed that Rippon Homes owns land at Spindle Drive which includes part of the current proposed housing scheme site and that this should be declared to the liquidators – but they claim this does not appear to have been included in the company’s Statement of Affairs.

Cllr Baker also claims that a lot of the proposed housing site is also believed to be owned by a company in the Artisan Group Ltd and an Artisan company is also listed as a director of Rippon Homes Ltd.

Companies House confirms that Rippon Homes has gone into voluntary liquidation under insolvency practitioners BTG Begbies Traynor (London) LLP and that Artisan (UK) Plc is listed as an active director and secretary with Rippon Homes with one other active director among 14 resigned directors.

The Harrogate-based Artisan Group Ltd is also separately listed as active and as a dormant company after it was only incorporated in December, 2025, under one director.

Mr Squires and Cllr Baker also believe that all Rippon Homes’ assets should be declared to the liquidators whom they believe should also have sole responsibility for the transfer of any assets or the transfer of the housing scheme planning application to another company.

Cllr Baker has argued that any council planning permission or S106 agreements cannot be finalised without the liquidators’ approval which places the future of the housing scheme into doubt.

He said: “Both Mr Squires and I have contacted the liquidators alerting them to this land apparently not being shown on the statement and raising concerns of the possibility of creditors being unaware of the potential planning gain value on both pieces of land and the value of the land containing the access.”

Cllr Baker added: “Mr Squires and I are concerned that there may be an attempt to transfer the applicant of the planning permission and maybe even all or some of the land to an Artisan company or another entity.”

Despite the council’s original conditional planning permission for the housing scheme, the council received 155 objections with concerns that there is inadequate infrastructure including schools, medical services and highways to meet the demands of the scheme.

Other objections were based on concerns about traffic safety and congestion, flooding and that the scheme will result in a loss of greenfield land and have an impact on trees and wildlife.

Cllr Baker also specifically raised concerns about the lack of infrastructure in terms of school places and service provisions for the scheme and the prospect of increased traffic as well as fears for surface water run-off.

Wingerworth Parish Council also objected to the scheme on the grounds that the site is not included in the district council’s Local Plan and they fear it will have an adverse impact on the area’s infrastructure and highways, and if plans for an attenuation pond are not managed this could lead to flooding.

Resident Mark Pearson told the planning meeting in September that hundreds of homes have already been built along the ‘A61 corridor’ in the area and things have changed a great deal since the developers won an appeal in 2018 to build houses in Wingerworth.

NE Derbyshire District Council’s planning officers had originally welcomed the developer’s new plans for 40per cent of the site’s properties to be affordable housing after the council has identified a need for 30 affordable units and five affordable housing units per year for Wingerworth.

Agent Tom Eyres, who represented the applicant, originally said the scheme would deliver 180 homes including affordable housing at a time when there is an acute national housing shortage.

The planning committee had voted by a majority to approve the planning application with conditions including a contaminated land assessment, a construction management plan and that a system be put in to dispose of foul water drainage with measures to protect the public sewage infrastructure.

NE Derbyshire District Council spokesperson has said the application had remained undetermined due to delays in completing the S106 Agreement and due to difficulties engaging with the applicant.

The spokesperson added the council is seeking external legal advice to make sure it proceeds appropriately and if there are any changes involving planning obligations and developer contributions the application would need to be referred back to planning committee before a decision.

NE Derbyshire District Council, which has also been alerted by Cllr Baker and Mr Squires with their concerns since Rippon Homes fell into liquidation, was also approached for a further comment on May 21 but it had still not commented at the time of publication.

Insolvency practitioners BTG Begbies Traynor LLP was asked for a comment on May 21 after Cllr Baker and Mr Squires had also approached the liquidators with their concerns in relation to the proposed housing scheme but at the time of publication the liquidators had also not commented.