A YORK-based house builder has gone into voluntary liquidation.

Shepherd Homes Ltd have appointed liquidators Chamberlain & Co in Leeds after company members agreed at a meeting on March 8, 2021 that it should be voluntarily wound up.

It is anticipated that all known creditors will be paid in full.

The housebuilding firm, on New Lane, Huntington, was established in 1945 and used to be part of York-based Shepherd Group, one of the largest family-owned, private companies in the UK building industry.

It was sold in 2015 to Galliford Try, with all 60 jobs being transferred, as the historic family-run Shepherd Group continued to downsize and restructure its operations.

The Shepherd Homes business became part of Galliford Try's housebuilding division Linden Homes, with the deal including the sale of Shepherd Homes' assets.

Creditors are now being asked to send their full names and addresses, and details of their solicitors, along with full particulars of their debts or claims to Chamberlain & Co, Resolution House, 12 Mill Hill, Leeds, LS1 5DQ by April 16, 2021.

Caroline Scott, sole director of Shepherd Homes, has made a declaration of solvency, stating that, following a full enquiry into the affairs of the company, 'the company will be able to pay its debts in full together with interest at the official rate within a period of 12 months from the commencement of the winding up'.

In a statement of assets, the estimated surplus after paying debts and interest was said to be £15,678.

Speaking about the sale of Shepherd Homes in 2015, Shepherd Group chairman David Williams said at the time: "This was not an easy decision for the Group board, particularly given the recent strong performance of Shepherd Homes, but this transaction represents an exciting opportunity for both the business and its employees for the long-term.

"Galliford Try, through Linden Homes, is exceptionally well placed to build on Shepherd Homes’ considerable progress and achievements.

"Growth and continuing success in the homes market demands ongoing large-scale capital investment which it was felt would be better achieved with a Group which has significant scale in the housing sector as well as a desire to grow its presence in the North.

"Galliford Try was a natural partner for Shepherd Homes and the Group board considers that this decision will prove beneficial for Shepherd Homes and its employees while enabling the wider Shepherd Group to continue to pursue its strategy of focusing future investment on distinct areas of the group, including the development and further expansion of our successful Portakabin business."

The Shepherd Group is a family-owned business, which has been a part of the York community since 1890 - its headquarters and many of its staff are based in and around the city of York.

It is the parent company of Portakabin whose international head office and manufacturing site is on New Lane, in Huntington.

Portakabin provides employment for about 900 staff, from office-based roles to factory or site-based roles including joinery, plumbing, health and safety and welding.