Nicholas Thompson, chief executive of architect Aukett Fitzroy Robinson, has said the bankruptcy of developer Simon Halabi will not affect an outstanding debt to the practice of more than £1m in legal costs and fees

Halabi was made bankrupt last week over a £53.6m loan he received from Icelandic bank Kaupthing relating to his purchase of the Esporta health club chain in 2007.

Aukett is owed £500,000 by Halabi’s firms in legal costs and £871,900 in fees after a legal dispute that ended in January.

The row began last year when Aukett launched proceedings against Halabi’s firms, claiming £1.6m in unpaid fees for work on Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire and two properties in the West End.

Halabi issued a counterclaim that Aukett had failed to inform him of the departure of Jeremy Blake, the project architect on the jobs, for eight months after he left.

Thompson said: “It won’t affect us because the debt is secured against the properties and is not owed by him personally. We will be paid from the proceeds of their sale.”

One of the sites, the former In and Out Club in Piccadilly is on the market for a reported £250m.

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