5-7 CRANBROOK DRIVE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

03930463 · ltd · incorporated 2000-02-22

Investment thesis

Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.

Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.

Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Feb 2025

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

80/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: Non-trading company

Sector: Professional, scientific & technical

Investor take

Pursue

Dormant / non-trading with a 84-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 84). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile

address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

Confirmed no charges registered

Directors & officers

12 officers (2 active, 12 linked, 6 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

Network not yet resolved

Filing history

77 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

80/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

—

Current Assets

—

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2025-02-28	2024-02-21

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days

filings

Last 90 days

filings

• 1 persons-with-significant-control
• 1 officers

Last 180 days

filings

• 1 persons-with-significant-control
• 1 officers
• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (38 events)Click to expand

2026-04-20
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-04-20
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-04-08
➖
HUGHES, Joseph Peter William resigned
director
2025-03-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-02-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-03-01
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-03-02
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-10-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-03-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-11-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2018-11-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2017-11-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2016-11-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2016-02-25
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-11-24
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2015-03-13
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-03-22
➕
BURT, John Michael appointed
secretary
2010-03-22
➕
BURT, John Michael appointed
director
2010-03-22
➖
BURT, Marjorie Elizabeth Jane resigned
secretary
2010-03-22
➖
BURT, Marjorie Elizabeth Jane resigned
director
2007-09-28
➕
BURT, Marjorie Elizabeth Jane appointed
secretary
2007-09-28
➖
FINLAY, John resigned
secretary
2007-09-28
➕
BURT, Marjorie Elizabeth Jane appointed
director
2007-09-28
➖
FINLAY, John resigned
director
2006-01-08
➕
HUGHES, Joseph Peter William appointed
director
2005-09-17
➖
RUSSELL, Daniel James resigned
director
2004-01-28
➕
FINLAY, John appointed
secretary
2004-01-28
➖
LOVELL, Andrew resigned
secretary
2004-01-28
➖
LOVELL, Andrew resigned
director
2004-01-28
➕
RUSSELL, Daniel James appointed
director
2000-03-23
➕
LOVELL, Andrew appointed
secretary
2000-03-23
➖
SEVERNSIDE SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2000-03-23
➕
FINLAY, John appointed
director
2000-03-23
➕
LOVELL, Andrew appointed
director
2000-03-23
➖
SEVERNSIDE NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director
2000-02-22
🏢
Company incorporated
As 5-7 CRANBROOK DRIVE LIMITED
2000-02-22
➕
SEVERNSIDE SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2000-02-22
➕
SEVERNSIDE NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100

Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS

+Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 84 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

98/100

Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 84 years old. Natural succession window is now.
primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean

No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr John Michael Burt Individual · English · DOB 09/1942 · age 84	25–50%	—	25-50% shares · firm interest	06/02/2017

1 historic (ceased) PSC

Mr Joseph Peter William Hughesceased 08/04/2026· 25-50% shares

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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ANSONBY GROUP LTD→ 14702282 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
ASASIKA GROUP LIMITED→ 14215382 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
ASHCROFT COURT (HEMEL HEMPSTEAD) RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION LIMITED→ 01017770 · est 1971 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	54y	—	—
AURON HOLDINGS LTD→ 16820386 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
AYOT PLACE LIMITED→ 13010543 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
BANKCHAMBERS HORNSEY MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ 03061395 · est 1995 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	30y	—	—
BARLEYWOODS RESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 14840032 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
BASELINE ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ 04692744 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	23y	—	—
BASELINE PORTFOLIO LIMITED→ 04692766 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	23y	—	—

Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →

🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive

Typeltd

Incorporated2000-02-22

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

7 Cranbrook Drive

St Albans

Hertfordshire

AL4 0SR

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-11-30

Last made up to: 2025-02-28

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-03-08

Last: 2026-02-22

Officers (2 active · 10 resigned)

BURT, John Michael→

secretary · appointed 2010-03-22

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BURT, John Michael→

director · ~84y · appointed 2010-03-22

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BURT, Marjorie Elizabeth Jane→

secretary · appointed 2007-09-28 · resigned 2010-03-22

Resigned

FINLAY, John→

secretary · appointed 2004-01-28 · resigned 2007-09-28

Resigned

LOVELL, Andrew→

secretary · appointed 2000-03-23 · resigned 2004-01-28

Resigned

SEVERNSIDE SECRETARIAL LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-02-22 · resigned 2000-03-23

Resigned

BURT, Marjorie Elizabeth Jane→

director · ~84y · appointed 2007-09-28 · resigned 2010-03-22

Resigned

FINLAY, John→

director · ~111y · appointed 2000-03-23 · resigned 2007-09-28

Resigned

HUGHES, Joseph Peter William→

director · ~77y · appointed 2006-01-08 · resigned 2026-04-08

Resigned

LOVELL, Andrew→

director · ~58y · appointed 2000-03-23 · resigned 2004-01-28

Resigned

RUSSELL, Daniel James→

director · ~51y · appointed 2004-01-28 · resigned 2005-09-17

Resigned

SEVERNSIDE NOMINEES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-02-22 · resigned 2000-03-23

Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (77 total)

cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control

persons-with-significant-control · PSC07

2026-04-20

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2026-04-20

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2026-03-01