Help & Advice Urgently Required

We found a building with a freehold option to buy (This being a main piont of our negotiations) with a company called provence plc for our new restaurant venture.

We signed a 5 year tenancy early november after agreeing to the landlord carrying out and paying for specified works to the building. We paid several thousand pounds upfront plus agreed to invest a further £40,000 and started our dream.

One month later I was still trying to get work to start on site (which included making the living quarters habitable by 31st December 04). I finally managed to get some answers and they agreed to pay for works if I found the builders and sent them the invoices.

Two weeks later I still had no builders on site because they hadn't paid them the deposit.

I had to pay the deposit myself to get things moving and managed (after threatening legal action) to get a meeting with someone from the company on site and their electriction, as we'd had no lights or heating since november.

When this person arrived, last thursday, they had no idea of what my business was going to be, what works were to be done, my name!! After explaining all in words he could understand so as not to confuse him, he left with assurances that all monies owing to me would be paid and their part of our contract honnored.

With still no word from them. I was on site Monday afternoon when a gentleman walked through the door and introduced himself as the person that had just bought the building at auction and was going to turn it into a nightclub!!Shock would be an understatement at this point.

To bring this upto date I haven't been able to speak to anyone from Provence plc (their secretary must be sick of blocking calls by now), My solicitor is away and they are trying to get someone to advise me in the intrim. The gentleman from the auction (Who turned out to be an extremley nice person by the way) is threatening legal action (as he was told the building was a pub with NO tenants, ready to open and had travelled 6 hours from London for nothing), and I'm wondering where I stand as my house has just been auctioned and myself, partner & two children are supposed to be living in the building now.

If anyone has any advice or information we would be so grateful. sonya burnett