Family Hope as HBOS-Castle Bidco, Nicholson-Acquisition Looms!
Crest Directors: Seven 'Just' Men or Just Seven Men?
Crest Nicholson Board of Directors -
Messrs. Matthews, Stone, Callcutt, Darby, Lidgate, Scholes, Wigglesworth
It is widely reported, such as on 'Google Search', that in the next few weeks or so, Crest Nicholson Plc will be sold off, (subject to 'Recommended Proposals' - see them by clicking here) to Sir Tom Hunter and his 'Castle Bidco' consortium. The multi million pounds venture is ultimately backed by Crest Plc 'major share holder', HBOS Plc. So confident are HBOS that HBOS Director, Mr. David Shearer, has already stepped down from the Board in order to avoid a "possible conflict of interests". He will be appointed to the Board of Crest Nicholson after the take over.
To this effect an EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING of the Company will be held at the offices of Dresdner Kleinwort at 30 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7PG on 16 April 2007 at 10.45 a.m. Someone from the Shalom Family hopes to be there!
Just seven men presently make up the Board of Directors of Crest Nicholson plc. With reference to some of the information published to the Crest Nicholson Plc website click here, they are:-
Chairman and Chairman of the Nominations Committee
John Matthews, a chartered accountant, was appointed Chairman in 1996, (one year before Crest invited the Shalom Family to take their houseboat home to Penarth Marina!). He is chairman of Regus Group Plc and a non-executive director of Rotork Plc, SDL Plc and Diploma Plc. John Matthews is Chairman of Governors of Forest School, Snaresbrook, London.
He has previously been a managing director of County Nat West and Deputy chairman/ deputy chief executive of Beazer Plc and a director of Centre Parcs UK.
S Stone
Chief Executive
Stephen Stone joined the group in 1995 (two years before Crest invited the Shalom Family to take their houseboat home to Penarth Marina!) and was appointed to the Board in 1999 becoming Chief Executive on 1st November 2005. He is a Chartered Architect with over 30 years in the construction and house building industry.
P Callcutt
Executive Director
Paul Callcutt joined the group in 1982. He was appointed to the Board in 2000 (the same year as Crest Nicholson-undisputedly caused the night time grounding accident) Mr. Callcutt is Group Land Director. He is a solicitor who practiced in property and planning law prior to taking up a commercial role with Crest Nicholson. (He is brother to John Callcutt CBE, the former Deputy Chair/Chief Executive Officer of Crest Nicholson, more lately, Chief Executive of English Partnerships, who presently leads 'The Callcutt Review' of housebuilding delivery.)
D P Darby
Finance Director
Peter Darby, a chartered accountant, was appointed to the Board in August 2003 (two months before Crest Nicholson Evicted the Shalom Family from their own home!).
He had previously served with the Group for 9 years in a range of finance and general management roles, rejoining the Group in 2001. He was formerly group finance director of the Berkley Group plc and divisional finance Director of Wimpey Homes.
R S Lidgate
Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
Stephen Lidgate was appointed to the Board in April 2003. He is past president of the House Builders Federation and a board member of the Construction Industry Training Board.
He was formerly chairman of John Liang Homes Plc and W L Homes LLC in the USA and a director of John Laing Plc. He has been involved in housebuilding for 35 years and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
R T Scholes
Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee
Richard Scholes was appointed to the Board in July 2003. He is a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the audit committee of Bodycote International Plc, Chaucer holdings Plc and Marshalls Plc. He is also a non-executive director of Keller Group Plc and is a chartered accountant.
L J Wigglesworth
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Lloyd Wigglesworth was appointed to the Board in 2000 (yep again! The same year that Crest Nicholson undisputedly caused the night time grounding accident to the Shalom Family Houseboat Home!) He is a director of Woolworth Group Plc, where he is Managing Director of Entertainment UK. He was formerly a director of WH Smith Plc.
Crest Nicholson Board of Directors - 7 Just Men or Just 7 Men?
Every one of these 7 Gentlemen have had respectful opportunity to avail themselves of the pertinent facts about this wicked eviction. What this company did was not just 'wrong' for the Shalom Family, it was wrong anyway! The recorded account documents that this eviction was orchestrated by negligent Mr. John Callcutt CBE, when he was Chief Executive Officer of the company, being 'solely responsible for enforcing health and safety', in the Crest Nicholson Group.
Nevertheless, these 7 Gentlemen, now know that:-
Marie Louise and Vincent Shalom did absolutely nothing wrong!
Crest Nicholson invited the Shalom Family and 'Picton', their Houseboat-Home, into the Penarth Marina at Cardiff Bay in Wales.
John Callcutt CBE, former Crest CEO, readily accepted that the company did do something wrong, (click here) and that issues of visual beauty, despite public protestations to the contrary, (click here) were a major concern of the company, (click here)
Crest Nicholson caused a terrifying and dangerous night time grounding 'accident' to the Family Home but immediately told the Family, to get out of Penarth Marina.
Crest Nicholson thwarted all reasonable attempts by the Shaloms to mitigate the loss of that accident. This included the refusal to grant 'permissions' for professional divers to inspect the houseboat after the accident. Furthermore, the refusal to grant 'permissions' for the houseboat to be lifted clear of the water, onto a purpose-built Emergency Lift-Out Facility, (at the Marina) when, only after the accident, it was discovered that the houseboat was experiencing an extraordinary water ingress.
Both matters regarding no-insurance and non payment of mooring fees, were situations directly forced upon Marie and Vince due to the above. Pre-paid mooring fees were repeatedly returned to the couple. Written assurances that the houseboat was insurable, subject to a vessel lift-out and service, were provided by their insurers.
Despite professional YBDSA survey, post accident, which still verified the robust and overall integrity of the Family Home, the company were insistent upon invoking 'rights' obtained under their 'jumped-up' Court-action of 'Trespass'. The Family dream home was towed away in the middle of the night, across the River Severn Estuary to England, and smashed up.
Almost three years on, nothing of the Family's personal possessions have been returned, including the children's 7 pet goldfish!
This whole fiasco has been brought about by a beauty show, directly in connection with the fact that Crest Nicholson plc are about to start work on 'Penarth Heights'. This is a £100M redevelopment of the former 'Billy Banks' - a 390+ unit, housing/residential development, in partnership with the Vale of Glamorgan Council,. The Vale Council are Commercial Landlords of the Penarth Marina and were the official 'Enforcing Authority of Health and Safety' at the time of the grounding accident. Penarth Heights just happens to overlook the Penarth Marina, but it seems that somebody, somewhere, just did not like the view! Click here!
Crest Nicholson Directors Honorable and Decent Gentlemen? Family Live In Hope.
Any of these Gentlemen men look like they could be your Father, Brother, Uncle, Nephew, Grandad or Godfather. Perhaps, they could even be your friends. As Crest Nicholson is about to be sold off and change face forever, we invite you to support us in asking them, to be honorable and decent, in heeding the Family's call for Social Justice. Please ask Crest Nicholson Directors to do the right thing and compensate the Shalom Family for their true losses to date.
Please e-mail the Crest Nicholson Directors by Clicking here!
