The businessman behind a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital in Fife says the demise of Perthshire’s Hadden Construction will cost him more than £700,000.
Hadden Construction, of Auchterarder, went into administration on Tuesday last week, with the loss of 66 jobs.
Among its projects was the multi-million-pound construction of a new veterinary clinic in Glenrothes.
Work started on the Ferguson Veterinary Clinic development in June last year and it was due to be completed next month.
Ahead of its opening, business owner John Ferguson has committed to start employing and paying 30 members of staff from mid-October.
He said the financial impact of Hadden’s demise has been significant, with completion now delayed for two months.
Fife veterinary hospital left in ‘jeopardy’
Mr Ferguson previously set up East Neuk Veterinary Clinic in St Monans. He sold that business in 2019 after 22 years.
Since then he’s developed the plans for a pet orthopaedic referral and primary care hospital in Glenrothes.
Located in Bankhead, it covers nearly 12,000 sq ft on brownfield land which previously was a car sales lot.
Mr Ferguson said the construction had been plagued with issues while Hadden was the main contractor.
The project will end up being more than £1 million over budget, he said.
He said: “Initially they said the building would be complete in March.
“It was clear very quickly, frustratingly, that the management was wholly inept.
“There was an issue with a concrete sewage pipe running through the plot which meant around five or six weeks were lost.
“Other management problems led to delays in contractors finishing their work. There were 19 leaks in our brand new roof!
“I am trying to build a state-of the art veterinary hospital as I need the building to function like that.
“When Hadden went into administration all the subcontractors left the site, taking their tools and equipment.
“I was left with a building that’s three-quarters finished and the whole project in jeopardy.”
Counting cost of getting project back on track
Mr Ferguson has since managed to find and appoint a new main contractor, Alltec Construction.
They anticipate finishing the building will take around eight to 10 weeks. The business owner, who is also a vet surgeon, is determined to make a December opening.
“Unfortunately it’s not just finishing the building, it’s undoing some of the mistakes Hadden made,” he said.
“Alltec have been very supportive and start back on the site on Monday. A lot of the subcontractors are also coming back.
“It’s been a massive worry I carry a huge burden of responsibility for the 30 staff who we will contractually employ from mid-October.
“If you put everything together – the delay in revenue generation, loan charges, the amount I have to redo because of poor construction, paying staff who don’t have a building to work in, I think we’re talking about ending up £1m to £1.5m over budget.
“The direct impact of Hadden going into administration is probably north of £700,000.
“We can absorb that but it’s critical we get the building finished soon, get open and get trading.”
What will new Fife veterinary hospital contain?
Mr Ferguson said there has been a lot of excitement in Glenrothes about the vet surgery opening.
He said its focus will be on delivering a high quality service at good value for money.
“It will have three operation rooms, a CT scanner so we can offer advanced imaging of pets to diagnose complex problems, an x-ray machine and bespoke dental rooms.
“The kennels are climate controlled and there are outside runs of artificial grass. There is 24/7 nursing care so animals are never left alone.
“We have a great team of experienced and specialised vets and we’re hoping to attract a lot of clients when we finally open.”
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