A FIRM behind a doomed bid to build a £100 million five-star hotel and leisure complex, which was backed by former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, is facing £70 million in claims from creditors.

A report by administrators RSM Restructuring has revealed the extent of money creditors of Skelwith Leisure Ltd, which had its plan for the country club off the A1(M) at Flaxby, near Boroughbridge, say they are owed.

Developers Skelwith, which went into liquidation in 2015, six years after announcing it would bid for a number of prestigious golf tournaments, including the 2022 Ryder Cup, had until last year been behind a bid to redevelop land near the A59/ A1 junction at Flaxby near Knaresborough, into a hotel and resort.

Liquidators have overseen the sale of the land to a consortium of experienced developers backing a new company called Flaxby Park Ltd, but a report produced by RSM shows there are unsecured debts amounting to almost £70 million, after the sale has been completed.

Some £51 million of that is made up of a claim from HM Revenue and Customs.

Building work on the hotel never began, but around 330 people put down deposits on off-plan rooms, and they have unsecured claims against the company of some £3.5 million.

In 2008, Skelwith announced Yorkshire batsman Mr Vaughan had signed papers to buy one of the 303 rooms at the hotel after being impressed with plans for a 27-hole golf course and 24-hour driving range.

He was reported as saying: “This is a one-off opportunity to invest in one of Yorkshire’s best developments.

“I’m delighted to be involved and I think it will be a showcase for the best that the county has to offer.”

The administrators’ report said another claim of £12.5 million has been made by insurers Zurich, with RSM liquidators stating some of the room buyers had insurances policies with Zurich, and those may have been paid out.

As preferential claims, the RSM report said those debts will be paid in full.

Part of the sale deal with new owners Flaxby Park Ltd includes and “overage” agreement, which means more money will be paid out if the site is included in Harrogate district’s local plan and gets planning permission for North Yorkshire’s first new town, which could see up to 3,000 homes, shops, a school and other community buildings, and leisure facilities developed there.