MP calls for meeting as housing developer goes bust

An MP has called for a meeting after a housing developer went into administration, leaving an estate it was working on incomplete.

JME Developments, based in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, was behind the Little Stanion estate near Corby.

Residents living there said they were worried the estate might never be finished.

Tom Pursglove, the Conservative MP for Corby, said he wanted to speak with the administrator and North Northamptonshire Council to "fully understand the situation and potential ways forward".

The estate has been under construction for more than a decade and some houses and the village hall have yet to be built.

JME Developments said in October it was hoping to finish the site in 2028, nearly eight years after construction should have been completed.

The developer was hoping North Northamptonshire Council would waive sums it had agreed to pay back to the community for each home sold.

In an update on his website, Mr Pursglove said he had recently met with representatives of Little Stanion Parish Council and the Little Stanion Village Committee regarding their concerns.

He said residents were "very concerned" over what would happen to the estate, "particularly where essential infrastructure, including roads and pavements remain unfinished".

"I have also urgently raised the matter with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [Michael Gove], with a view to trying to obtain any relevant guidance or advice he can offer that might prove helpful in the circumstances," he said.

As first reported by the Northamptonshire Telegraph, the appointment of administrator Rachel Fowler to manage JME Developments' affairs followed a High Court application by the Alternative Bridging Corporation.

Last week, Ms Fowler told the BBC she was working to "plan for the way forward".

She said: "We are mindful of the residents already there and want to minimise the impact on them."

A petition to wind up the company was presented in March by Ballycommon Services, which said it was a creditor of JME Developments.

JME told residents it was dealing with the petition "in a professional manner".

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