THE HIGH Court has adjourned a petition seeking the winding-up of P Elliott Co Ltd, one of the State’s largest construction firms.
The petition has been brought by recruitment firm MCR Personnel, trading as the MCR Group, which claims it is owed €1.793 million by the construction firm.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy was informed yesterday that the petition had not been advertised and she agreed to adjourn the matter for two weeks.
In its petition, MCR Personnel, which specialises in the recruitment of professionals for the construction industry, said it demanded payment of more than €1.7 million from P Elliott late last year for services provided over a six-year period.
Its demand had not been satisfied and it was seeking to have P Elliott put into liquidation on grounds it is insolvent and unable to pay its debts, MCR claims.
The court was told the construction firm was facing other winding-up petitions from a number of different creditors, with one of those petitions scheduled to be heard by the High Court next week.
William Cox Ireland and Oran Precast have lodged petitions seeking to have the firm wound up, while sub-contracting firm OMC Engineering has served a 21-day notice on the company, seeking payment of €100,000 due for work carried out on a number of projects.
P Elliott and Co Ltd, with its head office at Century Business Park, Dublin Road, Cavan, was founded in 1942.
It has been involved in a number of high-profile construction projects around Ireland and in Britain, including development of the athletes’ village at next year’s Olympic Games in London.
CONSTRUCTION STALLED
CONSTRUCTION has ceased on a number of building projects contracted to the Cavan-based company P Elliott.
Work on the Graduate Medical School at the University of Limerick has been stalled for some time, while the client behind a housing scheme in the Ballymun regeneration project is in the process of terminating a contract.
A spokeswoman for UL said construction had ceased on the graduate medical school building on the UL campus, which is not now expected to be completed in time for its planned opening for the new academic year.
“The suspension of work and the consequent delay to the completion of the project are a significant concern,” a spokeswoman said, “and the university is in communication with the contractor [P Elliott and Company Ltd] with a view to ensuring that work is progressed as soon as possible.”
The cost of the project is an estimated €15 million.
Meanwhile, the Cluid Housing Association is pursuing termination of its contract with P Elliott on the emerald scheme, part of the Ballymun regeneration project. A spokesman for Cluid said P Elliott had acknowledged the association’s entitlement to terminate.
“Construction has ceased on site for some time as the project became mired down in technical and legal argument,” a spokesman for Cluid said. “We will be retendering . . . as soon as possible.”
It is understood that construction has also ceased on a extension to St Patrick’s teacher training college in Drumcondra worth an estimated €23 million. However, the college declined to comment on the matter when contacted by The Irish Times.
Despite attempts to contact P Elliott at the companies offices in Cavan, Dublin and London yesterday, no comment was received before going to print.
PAMELA DUNCAN
