For 15 long years, the old Argos building has cast a grim shadow over Bath Street – an ugly symbol of broken promises, stalled investment, and regeneration that never seems to come.
Once a thriving shop, it now sits with its windows covered, closed off from the community. Since it shut its doors in 2010, three planning applications have been approved – yet none delivered. The building has become Ilkeston’s Groundhog Day: plans, approvals, excuses – repeat.
💣 The Ilson Gnome Exposé
Earlier this year, local celebrity Ilson Gnome published a viral exposé titled “Bath Street Bombshell: Public Money for Property Developers?” The post revealed that the site was bought in 2023 for £350,000 by Huntingdon Properties 1 Ltd, a company controlled by Warjinder Singh Khamba, one of the Khamba brothers, who operate a portfolio of more than 35 property firms.
Now, the developer is seeking £215,000 in public funding from the East Midlands Combined County Authority’s (EMCCA) Brownfield Housing Fund to make the scheme “viable.”
And the public? We won’t own a single brick.
💸 Public Risk, Private Profit
If the plan goes ahead, the developer keeps full ownership of 11 flats and 2 shop units. They’ll collect the rent, bank the profits, and benefit from rising property values – while Ilkeston helps foot the bill.
There’s:
• No commitment to affordable housing
• No protection for local traders
• No stake for the community
As Ilson Gnome put it:
“Should Ilkeston’s residents be paying to underwrite private profit – with nothing in return?”
💬 Council Shrugs, Developer Wins
Erewash Borough Council’s Head of Planning and Regeneration defended the move:
“The numbers don’t work. Without public help, the building will stay empty.”
But critics say this exposes a bigger problem:
Developers can buy buildings cheap, claim it’s not viable to develop, ask for public subsidies – then walk away with 100% of the profits.
Meanwhile, Ilkeston gets nothing.
🚫 Fit & Proper? Not Quite.
In 2018, Nottingham City Council ruled that Warjinder Khamba had failed the ‘Fit and Proper Person Test’ – a legal requirement to manage certain types of housing, including HMOs. The judgment cited poor management and breaches of housing law.
📄 Source: First-Tier Tribunal Property Chamber, Case Ref: BIR/00FY/HML/2018/0008
Yet this same developer is now being considered for a six-figure public subsidy to deliver housing in Ilkeston.
🗣️ What the Council Says
In response to the exposé, a journalist contacted local councillors. This is what they were told by the Erewash Borough Council’s Head of Planning and Regeneration:
“The EMCCA Brownfield Land Fund was launched in 2024. Erewash Borough Council promoted this site in the expectation that suitable gap funding could bring the development forward. Cushman and Wakefield have been in intensive discussions with the developer, with the aim of ensuring value for money for any public investment made in this scheme.
“It is the scheme that is being assessed, not the developer.
“If the site is not successful in securing funding, the most likely outcome is that the building will remain empty for another 15 years. The alternative view – that a wealthy fund or individual will redevelop the property at a financial loss for the benefit of Ilkeston – is sadly naïve.”
This is perhaps the most revealing line of all:
“It is the scheme that is being assessed, not the developer.”
So even if the developer has a poor record, has failed regulatory tests, or is profiting privately – it doesn’t seem to matter.
🧱 The Contractor Twist
A poster in the building window says refurbishment work will be carried out by 8 Ball Contractors Ltd.
That company is registered at 1–5 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham – the same address as The Stage Hotel Ltd, operated by… Warjinder Khamba.
So not only is the developer asking for public money – but the contractor is based in one of his own properties.
• No competitive tender process confirmed
• No indication that Ilkeston-based firms were considered
Even the job opportunities are heading out of town.
⚠️ Who Really Benefits?
✅ The developer keeps the asset
✅ The developer’s contractor gets the job
✅ Public money helps make it happen
❌ Ilkeston residents get no say
❌ Local businesses miss out
❌ Taxpayers pick up the tab
⏳ Act Now – or Stay Silent for Another 15 Years
Work is pencilled in for early 2026. But the full business case is being assessed now.
This is Ilkeston’s last chance to demand:
• Transparency on developer track records
• Conditions for affordable housing and community benefit
• Real accountability when public money is spent
Because this isn’t just about redeveloping an old shop.
It’s about who owns the future of our high street.
📢 What do you think? Should public money be used like this? Should we expect more in return?
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