10 May 2011
NEW OWNERS FOR WILLOW WOOD
Wyldecrest Parks Acquires Welch’s Homes from Administrators
A shock letter from a previously unknown (in Scotland) park home company heralded the end of the Welch’s Homes ownership of Willow Wood.
Rumours had been circulating that the Welch empire was under financial pressure and indeed Mr Welch had told one resident that he had amalgamated his operations with a new company.
It was the arrival of a team from Wyldecrest Parks Ltd, based in Essex, that finally clarified the situation. Letters were delivered to each household informing us that Wyldecrest were “The new owners of Welch’s Homes Group having acquired the Company from administrators”.
Subsequent enquiries by The Wanderer at Companies House reveals a chequered background of companies for Wyldecrest although its website claims it to be the second largest park homes group in the UK.
It seems a new company of which Cresswell Welch was registered as a director in February 2011 has been formed to take over all the seven former Welch’s Parks and indeed the previous Welch’s websites now sport the Wyldecrest logo.
The only communications from Wyldecrest to the residents of Willow Wood have been request for a transfer of rent and more recently intimation of a 5.1% increase in rent from June 2011
The Wanderer understands that the WWRA committee had accepted that an RPI increase was inevitable (and lawful) and will not be contesting the rent rise.
As we go to press another communication from Wyldecrest announces Mr and Mrs David Stannard (No26) as the new park managers for Wyldecrest.
