Ardmore is facing growing legal pressure following a recent High Court ruling connected to historic fire safety issues at the Admiralty Quarter development in Portsmouth.

The case is not centred on Ardmore breaching modern regulations that did not exist at the time. Instead, it focuses on alleged defects in the original construction work and who remains responsible for remediation costs today.

What has changed since Grenfell is the legal landscape. The Building Safety Act has given courts wider powers to reopen historic claims and pursue associated companies for building safety liabilities, even when the original contractor has entered administration.

In Ardmore’s case, the court ruled that other companies linked to the group could potentially still be held liable through Building Liability Orders (BLOs). The decision is being closely watched across the construction sector, as it could have major implications for how historic building safety claims are handled in future.

Many in the industry see the case as part of a much wider shift affecting contractors and developers across the UK, rather than an isolated issue involving Ardmore alone.