Third company steps in to finish long-delayed flats

The development is opposite Wokingham Leisure Centre and Wokingham Library

A third contractor has been hired to finish building a block of town-centre flats after the previous two companies went bust.

The Carnival Hub apartments on Wellington Road in Wokingham, Berkshire, were due to be completed by September 2023.

But work on the 55 new homes initially ground to a halt after builders The Mid Group fell into administration in 2022.

Newbury-based firm Feltham Construction has now been asked to complete the work, according to Wokingham Borough Council.

The apartments form part of Wokingham Borough Councils plans to regenerate the town centre

In February, the authority hired a second company, Osborne Ltd, to finish building the one and two-bedroom flats.

But the firm ran into financial trouble in April, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Osborne Ltd blamed "high inflation, the lingering impacts of COVID-19 and Brexit, and a slowdown in public sector procurement".

Wokingham Borough Council said the latest developer would see the long-delayed project "through to completion".

The council previously said the homes would be energy-efficient, with infrastructure for charging electric vehicles.