Claims against subcontractors
The subcontractors facing the claims and the projects involved have not been identified, according to Construction News. The outlet reported the action from a new joint administrators’ report by BTG, filed with Companies House.
The claims concern subcontractors that had not agreed standstill arrangements. The administrators said protective proceedings were needed to secure the company’s claims in those cases. They reported no recoveries to date from downstream cladding claims or Building Liability Order claims.
Disputes before and after administration
Ardmore Construction Ltd entered administration on 28 August 2025. It was already involved in several disputes, including one with BDW, the main trading arm of Barratt Developments. BDW had been considering an application for a Building Liability Order before the insolvency.
The BDW dispute covered five developments: Crown Heights in Basingstoke, Explorer Court in Plymouth, Pierhead Lock in the Isle of Dogs, Galleria in Peckham and Citiscape in Croydon. The report does not identify these as the projects involved in the new proceedings against subcontractors.
In April, Crest Nicholson obtained Building Liability Orders against seven companies linked to Ardmore. Those orders made the companies jointly and severally liable for a £14.9m adjudication award against Ardmore Construction Ltd. The award concerned fire-safety defects at Admiralty Quarter in Portsmouth, a development comprising 19 buildings.
Ardmore Construction Group subsequently entered administration. Parent company Ardmore Group Ltd continues to trade. Its creditors accepted a proposal for a company voluntary arrangement earlier in the month of the Construction News report.
Legal spending and creditor claims
The administrators, previously known as Begbies Traynor, originally forecast legal fees of between £186,000 and £500,000. The latest total for legal fees and associated costs is almost four times the upper end of that estimate and covers the period since Ardmore Construction Ltd entered administration.
BTG attributed the increase to the amount of legal material requiring attention and the need for continuing legal advice. That work included handling claims, documents relating to Building Liability Orders and standstill agreements.
The statement of affairs recorded £1.3m owed to former subcontractors for ordinary trading activities, alongside £15m in outstanding retentions. A further £3.4m was owed to other trade creditors. These figures describe the company’s creditor position, rather than any sums sought through the new court proceedings.
Unsecured creditors are expected to receive a dividend, the administrators said. The amount remains dependent on the final value of agreed claims and contingent claims. The report does not give a dividend rate.