Records reveal extent of Craven involvement in property firms

The Craven Group: Dermot Craven, the Manchester businessman behind the Craven Group, is listed in the UK Companies House records as a director and shareholder in a large number of property-related companies.

In relation to many of these companies, Mr Craven (44) is a business partner of Brian Gerald Pepper (31), who gives a number of addresses, including Brittania Road, Sale, Cheshire, and addresses in Dundalk.

In some instances Mr Craven and Mr Pepper hold equal shareholdings in their companies while in other instances Mr Pepper holds a marginally larger shareholding, making him the controlling party.

Mr Craven is also a 100 per cent owner of a number of property-related businesses operating in the Manchester area.

Both his companies and those he is involved in with Mr Pepper have taken out a large number of mortgages in recent years, most of them residential properties in the greater Manchester area.

Almost all of the companies with which Mr Craven is involved have their registered office at Craven House, Brittania Road, Sale.

Companies House records state Mr Pepper has had four addresses: Brittania Road, Sale; Charlton Drive, Sale; Cederwood Park, Dundalk; and Cherryvale Bay Estate, Dundalk.

He describes himself as a property trader and company director. One of the larger companies owned by Mr Craven and Mr Pepper is Dermot Craven Property Developments Ltd, incorporated in February 1998. Records show the company has had 68 mortgages, 54 of which are still outstanding and 14 of which have been satisfied.

The latest annual report, for the period to end June 2004, shows that Mr Craven has 49 shares and Mr Pepper 51. The company is described as a property development company, and in the period the company had a turnover of £7.76 million and made an after-tax profit of £83,405. The turnover arose from the sale of property and agents' fees, according to the accounts.

The accounts include a list of related party transactions totalling almost £1 million. The list of related parties includes a number that include Mr Craven's name as well as DB and BP (2004) Ltd and a partnership in the names of Mr Craven and Mr Pepper. The company's secretary is Mr Craven's wife, Dawn Craven.

Another company, Cravern Properties Ltd, had accumulated reserves of £1.98 million at the end of 2004, and has 58 mortgages registered, of which one has been satisfied.

Mr Craven once told the Manchester Evening News how he was expelled from school at 15, got a job as a steeplejack and built up his own scaffolding company, based in a caravan, before branching into the renovation of properties.

"It was a struggle but the business grew and we have gone from strength to strength," he told the newspaper.

Craven grew up in a council house in Sale, the seventh child in a family of 12 whose parents died young.

Mr Craven's home is a stg2m red-brick mansion in Bowdon, one of the most exclusive areas in Greater Manchester. The house, named Nithesdale, has security cameras at the front and back doors.

Mr Craven, who runs marathons for local charities, has three children with his wife, Dawn.

"They keep themselves to themselves," said one neighbour. "All I know is he's Irish and runs a scaffolding firm," said another.

Additional reporting Guardian Service