Work has been suspended on a multi-million-pound Sutton project set to create more than 1,000 new jobs after the council in charge was found to have broken several rules.

The completion of the Automated Distribution and Manufacturing Centre (ADMC) – tipped to be a national centre of excellence for automation and the jewel of a £100m Innovation and Technology Park, could now be delayed by another year.

The project situated off Low Moor Road, Sutton, has been halted after Ashfield District Council's boss ordered work to be suspended over the legal issues.

A report says there is no evidence that anyone at Ashfield District Council 'deliberately' sought to avoid the rules, but £5 million worth of work has been carried out so far which breaches them.

placeholder image — The planned ADMC building

Lindum started on the site as main contractor last Summer and the council has confirmed works were paused in January.

The issues mainly surround work on the project beginning before contracts had been finalised, as well as not obtaining proper approvals when costs ballooned by millions of pounds.

In response, the Council has put in place a series of actions, including voluntarily pausing works in January to protect the Council and the taxpayer while corrective actions were developed and commissioning an independent external review.

The 2,800sqm purpose-built multifunctional centre will support businesses of all sizes to design and implement bespoke automation strategies, boosting productivity, competitiveness, and long-term economic growth.

The ADMC element of the project was funded using £20 million from the government, as well as a £10 million combined contribution from Nottingham Trent University and West Notts College.

The report into the ADMC will now have to be considered by Ashfield District Council's cabinet at an April 13 meeting and work can only resume after that has taken place.

Theresa Hodgkinson, Chief Executive of Ashfield District Council said: “We identified these issues ourselves, acted immediately, and we are being fully transparent about the steps we are taking.

“The ADMC remains a transformational project for Ashfield. It is central to our plans for economic growth, business innovation and high-quality employment opportunities in the district.

“All of the work carried out has contributed to the delivery of the project, and payments relate to legitimate work completed on site. There is no suggestion the money has been lost or misused.

“Our focus now is on strengthening governance, and ensuring we are in the strongest possible position to move forward with the project. Our aim is to be back on site in early May, and I’ll confirm as soon as I can what the revised timeframes for the completion of this flagship project will be.”