London borough said “no decisions made” on 52 of the half-finished homes following the collapse of Henry Construction

No decisions have yet been made on what Ealing Council will do with the remaining half-finished homes built by Henry Construction, Housing Today can reveal.

Last year, the West London authority confirmed it would demolish Dean Gardens, a 53-home development in Walpole, Ealing.

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£400m firm Henry Construction collapsed into administration in 2023

A total of 105 homes built to Passivhaus standards were due to be delivered as part of a £40m contract Ealing Council awarded to Henry Construction in January 2022. Construction work stopped, however, when Henry Construction went into administration in June 2023. 

This week has seen widespread reporting that the remaining 52 Henry Construction homes across five sites in the area will also be bulldozed rather than completed.  

The reports cite council statements referring to it being “more cost effective” to start again than to salvage projects – although no statements to this effect appear in press releases or in committee meeting minutes published on the local authority’s website.

Housing Today understands from Ealing Council that the reports of demolition are incorrect.

A spokesperson for Ealing Council said: “There has been some confusion regarding this story. Only the Dean Gardens site is confirmed for demolition so far.  

“We’re looking into the other sites [25 homes at Chesterton and Evesham Close, Greenford, 11 homes at Wood End, Greenford, a further 10 at Shackleton Road, Southall, and six at Norwood Road, Southall] but so far no decisions have been made, although demolition is one option.”

Work on six sites across West Ealing, Greenford and Southall as part of a £40m contract with Henry Construction began in late 2022. 

Main contractor Henry Construction sank into administration in June 2023 with the loss of around 40 jobs and debts of more than £43m. At the time, the Ealing Council said it was committed to completing all of the remaining homes.

The 105 homes in the Ealing schemes were designed by Bell Phillips. A spokesperson for the architect declined to comment.

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