‘Roman quarter’ development business goes into liquidation

One of the firms involved with York’s Roman Quarter development has been wound up after receivers were called in over debts of more than £5m.

Rougier House Developments, based in Ogleforth House, York, has gone into liquidation. It follows receivers being called in to a sister business in May last year.

The ambitious Roman Quarter scheme, featuring an Eboracum underground museum, 153 apartments, an 88-room hotel and 20,000 sq ft of office space, was planned for a site in Rougier Street, York.

City of York Council planners gave their consent to the project in October 2022, following refusal of a previous version of the plans in 2021.

But the site was put on the market last February and Rougier Street Developments Ltd, which owned the site of the planned scheme, was placed in receivership on 4 May 4 2023.

At a meeting of the company on January 16, Rougier House Developments was wound up voluntarily. FTS Recovery, of Milton Keynes, has been appointed liquidator.

A Statement of Affairs issued on 26 January says Rougier House Developments’ creditors were owed £5.26m and names 19 companies and organisations owed a total of £5,281,506 between them.

They include City of York Council (Council Tax) £9,600; City of York Council (Business Rates) £51,800; Ebor Trustees and Ian Needham £965,000; Neal Investments £598,400; Octopus Real Estate of London £1,327,000; Rougier Street Developments £89,900; Together Commercial Finance of Cheshire £1,300,000 and Leeds-based York Syndicate £900,000.

Companies House also notes that accounts for Rougier Street Development Holdings are now overdue.