THE Swindon-based UK headquarters of a multi-national building firm responsible for the construction of a £16.2m airport terminal in Guernsey has gone into voluntary liquidation.

Concept Developments (Wiltshire) Ltd, which has bases on the Europa Industrial Park in Swindon and the Shrivenham 100 Business Park, went into liquidation after a would-be buyer pulled out of saving the firm.

And firms working on the two-storey, steel-framed building now fear they will not be paid money owed to them by Concept.

The Channel island's newspaper, the Guernsey Press, yesterday revealed that Concept owed companies £500,000 and even owed money to the Board of Administration for landfill charges.

Hochtief UK, which is based at the Windmill Hill Business Park near junction 16 of the M4, is the main contractor for the terminal building.

Concept has accused Hochtief UK of owing it £800,000 and the Guernsey Press has been full of claims and counter-claims surrounding the issue. It also reported that Bournemouth-based GMP Property Services has now ditched plans to buy Concept.

In a statement Hochtief UK said it had dealt with Concept fairly at all times. It read: "Concept Developments has been paid for all work on the Guernsey Airport project to date. Concept Developments has been quoted in the media as being owed sums ranging from £800,000 to £1.3m by Hochtief.

"The figures quoted by Concept Developments are wildly speculative and unsupported by any substantiation. Hochtief has administered Concept's accounts in a fair and reasonable manner within the terms of its contract."

The statement said it had checked Concept's credentials as a sub-contractor prior to engaging the company's services.

It added: "On May 13, 2003, Concept announced through the media its intention to withdraw its resources from the Guernsey Airport project.

"Hochtief gave an assurance to the board of administration, the official body in charge of the project, that if Concept were to carry out this threat, progress on the terminal would not be affected. Subsequently Concept withdrew from the site."

Yesterday the Evening Advertiser contacted Colin Herrion, who is listed as a current director of Concept Developments (Wiltshire) Limited and left a message on an answer phone, but received no call back.

The current North Wiltshire and Swindon telephone directory has two listings for Concept Developments (Wiltshire) Ltd, one in the Europa Industrial Park in Swindon and the other at the Shrivenham 100 Business Park in Shrivenham, but dialling these numbers got only "unrecognised" messages.