UK construction company crashes into liquidation owing £1m - ex-Premier League club debt

A UK construction firm has entered liquidation, owing creditors over £1 million, following legal action by a Premier League football club. Coastal Construction, based in Heacham, Norfolk, has been the official building contractor for Norwich City and carried out work at its training ground and Carrow Road stadium for six years. It collapsed into liquidation this week, with its directors, brothers Kevin and Gary Waddison, owing creditors £1.6 million, the Eastern Daily Press reports.

Norwich City was one of the firm's 26 creditors, claiming an unspecified amount for a sponsorship deal. Kevin said he and Gary injected around £30,000 into the company last year after the club filed for a petition to wind it up in June, but were unable to pull it back from the brink.

"We did everything we possibly could to keep it going, but we got to the point where [we] couldn't hold off anymore," he added.

"[Norwich City's petition to wind the company up] shows the sort of pressure we were getting from some of our creditors."

The £1.6 million figure included over £282,000 of the brothers' own money, according to reports, with the firm also previously paying for a hospitality box at Carrow Road.

The co-director attributed the company's collapse to developmental delays linked to nutrient neutrality - a requirement for housing developments not to increase nutrient pollution in protected habitats.

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He said: "We had projects, but were waiting for planning permission, which we just could not get over the line in time.

"We should have had planning on two jobs over two years ago. It is why so many building companies [have] been having issues."

Coastal Construction was founded as a family business by Kevin and Gary's father Peter Waddison in 2004.

It formed a partnership with Norwich City in 2020, pledging to guide the club "from inception to planning, funding, building and certification to ensure maximum land value".