Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Jon Cooper
A Derbyshire council is continuing to seek legal advice after a collapsed developer linked to a conditionally approved housing scheme is undergoing a winding up process after it fell into the hands of liquidators.
North East Derbyshire District Council’s planning committee conditionally approved Rippon Homes Ltd’s planning application 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 while its Wingerworth housing scheme faces an uncertain future and remains listed by the council as status ‘pending’.
Rippon Homes’ Director David Sheinman confirmed on the official public record website The Gazette that from April 30 the company would be wound up voluntarily and that joint liquidators at BTG Begbies Traynor (London) LLP have been appointed for the process.
Mr Sheinman formally stated: “That the company be wound up voluntarily and that Stephen Katz and David Birne both of BTG Begbies Traynor (London) LLP… be and hereby are appointed as joint liquidators for the purposes of such winding up and that any power conferred on them by law or by this resolution, may be exercised and any act required or authorised under any enactment to be done by them, may be done by them jointly or by each of them alone.”
Protestors originally opposed Rippon Homes’ housing scheme on the grounds of the feared pressure it posed to schools, medical services and roads and more recently raised concerns 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 North East Derbyshire District Cllr Neil Baker and resident Stephen Squires, who are opposed to the scheme, are concerned Rippon Homes may now 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.
It is understood liquidation and the planning process operate separately so any planning permission can continue to stay in place while insolvency practitioners consider various options while identifying and selling off a company’s remaining assets for creditors.
The liquidators could choose to oversee the planning permission for the creditors or the liquidators can transfer the application to a new developer who could buy the land and implement the planning permission.
If a housing scheme continues, originally agreed S106 financial contributions towards infrastructure to be paid by any developer taking on a planning permission will be expected to be paid by any new developer or they could be renegotiated depending on any changing financial conditions.
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 also 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: “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.”
The council received 155 objections to the scheme during the original planning process with concerns that there is inadequate infrastructure including schools, medical services and highways to meet the demands of the development.
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 and that hundreds of homes have already been built along the A61 corridor in the area.
Wingerworth Parish Council also objected to the scheme on the grounds that the site 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.
North East Derbyshire District Council’s planning officers had welcomed the developer’s plans for 40per cent of the site’s properties to be affordable housing after the council identified a need for 30 affordable units and five affordable housing units per year for Wingerworth and an agent for the developer pointed out the 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.
Insolvency practitioners BTG Begbies Traynor LLP have been offered an opportunity to comment on Rippon Homes’ position and the concerns surrounding the future of the conditionally approved Wingerworth housing scheme but have so far not done so.
