Administrator says 275 jobs have gone following Ardmore collapse

The first details of how many people have lost their jobs following last week’s collapse of Ardmore Construction Group have been revealed with more than 250 staff made redundant, administrators have said.

Last Thursday, the London contractor said its construction group, which includes Ardmore Construction Group, Ardmore Major Projects, Regeneration, Fit-out, Hotels & Commercial and Landmark, had gone into administration.

BTG, formerly Begbies Traynor, has confirmed that it was appointed administrator for Ardmore Construction Group last Friday.

In a statement, BTG added: “The Joint Administrators have taken immediate steps to identify and secure key staff to assist in their duties. Due to the cessation of trade of the respective companies, circa 275 staff have been made redundant and the Joint Administrators have dealt promptly with enquires from the DWP and information to staff to enable them to lodge their employment claims with the Redundancy Payments Service.

“Engagement has taken place with specialist quantity surveyors. BTG Eddisons has attended sites to assess security, secure company assets and health and safety requirements which remain paramount in such instances. The joint administrators do not have further comment at this stage.”

In an earlier statement, BTG said its partners Dominik Czerwinke and Jamie Taylor and Jason Callender, partner at Panos Eliades Callender & Co, were appointed joint administrators on 12 June.

Last week, Ardmore said “the administration follows the profound impact of the recent Building Liability Order judgment relating to the Admiralty Quarter project, which completed in 2009.

“The judgment has affected client confidence, payment terms and certified values across a number of live projects, materially affecting the construction group’s ability to continue trading in the normal way.”

Several jobs have been hit by the collapse including the firm’s Britannia residential scheme in Shoreditch for Hackney council. The scheme is close to completion and had been due to finish late this year.