There are now 18 live cases at the High Court for winding up proceedings of Sunningdale housing companies.
The petitioner is HM Revenue and Customs. There are also active administration cases brought by lenders, including West One Loan, to the various companies under the Sunningdale banner.
Sunningdale House Developments (St Nicholas) and (Minster) are among those listed for winding up. Both have outstanding charges with Lendinvest Security Trustees Limited and St Nicholas also has one with West One Loan Ltd.
There are Sunningdale developments across east Kent including Eden Grove in Minster, Heritage Fields and The Stables in St Nicholas-at-Wade and South Cliff Place in Broadstairs.
Workers downed tools at sites in the Summer, leaving developments such as at St Nicholas and Minster unfinished and property owners on other sites still waiting for snagging issues to be fixed.
Winding up petitions active at the High Court are for:
- Sunningdale House Developments (Bisley) Limited
- Sunningdale House (Dover Road Walmer) Limited
- Sunningdale House (Heritage Farm Two) Limited
- Sunningdale House (Ascot) Limited
- Sunningdale House (Ascot Two) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Maidstone) Limited
- Sunningdale House (Cliffside Drive) Limited
- Sunningdale House (Heritage Farm) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Ascot Three) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Larkey Wood Farm) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (High Halden) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Eastry) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Foxwood) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Minster) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (St Nicolas) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Tuckingmill) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Walmer) Limited
- Sunningdale House Developments (Sandgate) Limited
Sunningdale House Developments formed in 2014 and was originally based in Sandwich but relocated to Manston in 2022.
It was headed by David Pownceby who formerly was a director of Lilybrook Developments which was dissolved in 2013.
Sunningdale has a number of different registered companies related to different sites. Mr Pownceby has resigned from all Sunningdale House named companies.
The new director of some of the developments is listed as Robert John Locker.
Sunningdale House Development accounts up to year end December 2021 (the most recent to have been lodged) show the group sold 115 homes in that year and achieved a profit of £2,549,837 (2020: £206,274).
Turnover increased dramatically by £18,729,683 from £42,917,079 in 2020 to £61,646,762 in 2021.
The group’s bank loans and overdrafts falling due within one year had reduced from £70,314,984 to £60,549,265 with £3,779,566 falling due after more than one year.
The Sunningdale House website is no longer accessible.
District councillor Mike Garner (Green) visited the St Nicholas-at-Wade Sunningdale site this week.
He said: “Next Thursday, Thanet councillors will be debating my motion “to pause the granting of new planning permissions for builds of more than 10 dwellings, and allow for a review into the impacts the current housebuilding programme is having across Thanet.’
“After reading the officer’s report that’s been prepared to inform the debate, I decided to drive out to see the abandoned Sunningdale housing development in St Nicholas at Wade where most of the houses are complete but sit empty (apart from one) to help collect my thoughts.
“The village as a whole has changed dramatically over the last few years, surrounded by new builds, and it’s sad that many of these are, certainly in the short to medium term, uninhabitable.
“With interest rates and inflation showing little sign of falling in the near future, having a detrimental effect on the housing market (building and selling), how many more developers are going to decide to down tools and leave sites unfinished or, go out of business?
“If ever there was a good time to pause and take stock of the situation, isn’t it now?”
Thanet Green Party initially called for a halt to the granting of planning permission for developments of more than 10 homes in July.
Party members said recent increases in mortgage interest rates will have a slowdown effect on both the building and purchase of new homes, and they believed it was an opportunity to pause the granting of new planning permissions and carry out a review, with both councillors and officers being involved in the investigation.
Green councillors said residents had voiced concerns over housebuilding impact on the already failing Southern Water infrastructure; traffic and highways; health services and schools and properties that remain unoccupied rather than becoming primary residences.
The suggestion was to set up a cross-party working group of seven councillors to work with officers to carry out the review.
Members voted to debate the motion at the July meeting but because it “would give rise to a significant change to income of the council,” it was deferred for a report and is now due to be discussed at Thursday’s meeting (October 12) which starts at 7pm.
