Author Archives: HM Government

Lakeview Developments Limited (company number 05263760) is pleased to announce that it has agreed terms with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (formerly Business, Innovation and Skills) (the Secretary of State) to compromise the petition presented by the Secretary of State for the compulsory winding up of the company on public interest grounds pursuant to Section 124a of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the Petition). The petition has been dismissed as part of Comprehensive Terms of Settlement (terms of settlement) which include that the company was to be placed in to Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation and undertakings to the Court and conditions have been agreed between the company and the Secretary of State which are considered, on balance to be in the public interest.

The Secretary of State had contended in the petition that the Company had:

• carried on business in an objectionable manner and alleged that the company had made misleading statements concerning the prospects of obtaining planning permission inducing the purchase of plots of land that had no prospect of gaining planning permission. The Secretary of State had also contended that the subdivision of the original site into numerous plots which were subsequently sold as plots, primarily to members of the public, has negatively impacted on a) the likelihood that there could be a development of the site or of individual plots and b) planning permission being granted which has, in the Secretary of State’s opinion, resulted in the plots being near valueless
• carried on business without a Consumer Credit Act (CCA) licence when one was required

The company strenuously denied (and continues to deny) the alleged wrongdoing. Specifically:

• the company denied having made misleading statements which allegation the company said was unsupported by any documentary evidence and were contrary to the contracts signed by purchasers of the plots of land and the sub-division was both obvious and may have enhanced the prospects for planning permission for particular plots
• that it did not provide credit which required a CCA licence

The company regrets if any purchaser of a plot considers they were misled into purchasing a plot.

Terms of settlement have been agreed to compromise the petition and has been agreed by the company and the Secretary of State which included that the company was placed into Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation with undertakings being given by the company, its director, Mr Baron Alexander Deschauer, and other associated companies to prevent the future sales being conducted in the manner which the Secretary of State has complained of. The terms of settlement also sets out how plot purchasers will be treated in the liquidation and includes an undertaking from the director of the company who will make a voluntary contribution to the company.

Plot purchasers can contact the Joint Liquidators, Mark Newman and Vincent John Green, for further information at CCW Recovery Solutions, 4 Mount Ephraim Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1EE. The Secretary of State has no reason to consider that Mr Newman and Mr Green are other than proper and appropriate persons to act as liquidators.

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Broomfield Developments Limited (company number 06902113 ) is pleased to announce that it has agreed terms with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (formerly Business, Innovation and Skills) (the Secretary of State) to compromise the petition presented by the Secretary of State for the compulsory winding up of the company on public interest grounds pursuant to Section 124a of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the petition). The petition has been dismissed as part of Comprehensive Terms of Settlement (terms of settlement) which include that the company was to be placed in to Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation and undertakings to the Court and conditions have been agreed between the company and the Secretary of State which are considered, on balance to be in the public interest.

The petition has been dismissed as part of the terms of settlement which include that the company was to be placed in to Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation and undertakings to the Court and conditions have been agreed between the company and the Secretary of State which are considered, on balance to be in the public interest.

The Secretary of State had contended in the Petition that the company had:

• carried on business in an objectionable manner and alleged that the Company had made misleading statements concerning the prospects of obtaining planning permission inducing the purchase of plots of land that had no prospect of gaining planning permission. The Secretary of State had also contended that the subdivision of the original Site into numerous plots which were subsequently sold as plots, primarily to members of the public, has negatively impacted on a) the likelihood that there could be a development of the site or of individual plots and b) planning permission being granted which has, in the Secretary of State’s opinion, resulted in the plots being near valueless
• carried on business without a Consumer Credit Act (CCA) licence when one was required

The company strenuously denied (and continues to deny) the alleged wrongdoing. Specifically:

• the company denied having made misleading statements which allegation the company said was unsupported by any documentary evidence and were contrary to the contracts signed by purchasers of the plots of land and the sub-division was both obvious and may have enhanced the prospects for planning permission for particular plots
• that it did not provide credit which required a CCA licence

The Company regrets if any purchaser of a plot considers they were misled into purchasing a plot.

Terms of settlement have been agreed to compromise the petition and has been agreed by the Company and the Secretary of State which included that the company was placed into Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation with undertakings being given by the company, its director, Mr Baron Alexander Deschauer, and other associated companies to prevent the future sales being conducted in the manner which the Secretary of State has complained of. The terms of settlement also sets out how plot purchasers will be treated in the liquidation and includes an undertaking from the director of the Company who will make a voluntary contribution to the Company.

Plot purchasers can contact the Joint Liquidators, Mark Newman and Vincent John Green, for further information at CCW Recovery Solutions, 4 Mount Ephraim Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1EE. The Secretary of State has no reason to consider that Mr Newman and Mr Green are other than proper and appropriate persons to act as liquidators.

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Highways England is launching a new initiative in the North West after over 40,000 sacks of litter had to be collected from motorways in the region last year – an average of 108 sacks for every mile of motorway.

New signs are being trialled with the message ‘Workers lives are put at risk picking your litter’ and extra litter picking patrols are being carried out to help tackle the issue.

Newly-released CCTV footage shows a lorry driver discarding an oil container at the side of the M62 near Rochdale after pulling over to the hard shoulder to add oil to his vehicle’s engine.

Drivers are being urged to keep their rubbish with them rather than leaving it at the roadside, risking the lives of the workers who have to collect it.

The footage is available to watch here:

Paul Cooper, 46 from Bolton, has been collecting litter from motorways for 19 years as part of his job as a maintenance team supervisor for Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald. Paul’s other duties include filling potholes, repairing safety barriers and clearing drains. He said:

I think most drivers who sling litter out their windows don’t really think about what they’re doing, and that someone like me has to come along and clear up after them.

It tends to be worst on slip roads or where there’s standing traffic, as that’s when drivers seem to decide to have a clear out of their cars.

There’s always an element of risk when you’re working on the network as you’re near traffic so my message to drivers is please stop dropping litter and take it home with you instead.

It costs taxpayers an estimated £40 for each sack of litter collected from motorways – roughly the same cost as fixing a pothole.

Litter poses a risk to other drivers if it lands on windscreens, causes a threat to wildlife and leads to flooding if drains become blocked so litter picking is regularly carried out across the network.

Paul Elliott, Service Delivery Team Leader at Highways England, said:

Our teams of workers do a fantastic job removing litter from motorways every year but we’d much rather they were able to spend more of their time carrying out maintenance work.

Litter has to be collected close to fast-moving traffic – putting our workers at risk – and lane closures are often needed, causing needless disruption to drivers.

We’ll have extra patrols out on the network over next few weeks to target areas where litter regularly builds up, and we’re encouraging drivers to help do their bit by saving their litter for the bin.

Earlier this year, the government launched a consultation on proposals to almost double fines for dropping litter to £150. Under the proposed new measures, vehicle owners could also receive penalty notices when it can be proved litter was thrown from their car – even if it was discarded by somebody else.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

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The UK government has today announced the location of a new hub at New Waverley, Edinburgh, which will deliver significant growth to the city by moving 2,900 civil servants into the city centre premises in 2020.

The new hub will:

• contribute to the creation of a modern Civil Service – with fit-for-purpose workspaces, cross-departmental collaboration, smarter technology, and enhanced career opportunities;
• demonstrate the government’s commitment to engaging with and supporting the local Edinburgh community;
• contribute to growth in Edinburgh, as the largest office prelet in the city for over 20 years;
• create a centre of excellence for the delivery of public services in Scotland and facilitate more effective working between government departments within a devolved administration;

The UK government will take approximately 190,000 square feet at New Waverley Edinburgh, with a lease commitment of at least 20 years. This hub will continue to strengthen the government’s commitment to building a strong Civil Service outside London.

The new development, adjacent to Waverley Station, will deliver grade A offices to be occupied by civil servants from several UK Government departments. This includes HMRC who will operate one of its 13 regional centres from New Waverley.

The hub will provide high quality, skilled jobs to the city centre, as well as contributing to the local economy. The UK government intends to develop strong links with those living and working locally and for the Hub to become a valuable asset to the local area.

Relocating civil servants from existing, often fragmented office locations, to modern, cross-departmental workplaces maximises efficiency by using space more effectively and encourages collaboration across departments.

The location of the Edinburgh hub has been chosen due to its exceptional public transport connections to the rest of Scotland and the UK.

Minister Caroline Nokes said:

This new flagship building is part of our radical upgrade of the Civil Service and will support our diverse and creative workforce as they make a real difference to the lives of people in Scotland. This landmark development will deliver significant benefits to Edinburgh and the communities within it.

Alongside significant savings for the taxpayer, the roll out of government hubs will provide modern working environments across the whole of the UK that will enable us to provide the best public services we can.

HMRC Chief Executive, Jon Thompson, said:

Locating HMRC’s new regional centre for Edinburgh in the New Waverley development is another step in HMRC’s transformation, into a modern, digitally-advanced tax authority. HMRC will bring its teams together to promote closer working relationships, and increasing our effectiveness in collecting taxes.

The UK Government Property Unit, as part of its remit to drive savings across the UK government estate, is overseeing the deal for the new Hub.

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