ADASTRA DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
08816376 · ltd · incorporated 2013-12-16
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£44.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Television programme production activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -55% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
7 connected companies via shared directors
66
Filing history
34 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £44,334
Net assets shrinking
Down £64,808 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 55% YoY
Cash YoY
-55%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£26k
↓ 55% YoY
Net Worth
£44k
↓ 59% YoY
Current Assets
£205k
↑ 38% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £44.3k | £109.1k |
| Current assets | £205.5k | £148.6k |
| Cash | £26.2k | £57.9k |
| Debtors | £179.3k | £90.7k |
| Net assets | £44.3k | £109.1k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
3 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-31📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-10-31📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-02-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-02-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-02-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-01-07📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2013-12-16🏢Company incorporatedAs ADASTRA DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
- 2013-12-16➕FRANKS, Martin John appointeddirector
- 2013-12-16➕FRANKS, Melissa Jane appointeddirector
Owner dependency
86/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
79/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Martin John Franks Individual · British · DOB 12/1956 · age 70 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Melissa Jane Franks Individual · British · DOB 08/1957 · age 69 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Technology · CB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.G.I. MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED→ 06025153 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ADISHK DFT CONSULTING LTD→ 17103304 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADULT PREEMIE ADVOCACY NETWORK CIC→ 14740697 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADVANCED INKJET SERVICES LIMITED→ 06780299 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ADVANCED PROCESS ENGINEERING & SIMULATION SERVICES LTD→ 05509513 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ADVANTISEC LTD→ 14981782 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADVIISA GROUP LIMITED→ 16364179 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AEGRA LIMITED→ 16630824 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AELUSIVE LTD→ 14980405 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AEQUISYM AI LIMITED→ 13978169 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AETHERLOOM LIMITED→ 16874500 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AFF PRODUCTIONS LTD→ 11170667 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated2013-12-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC59113 — Television programme production activities
Registered office
Unit 1, Cambridge House Camboro Business Park
Oakington Road, Girton
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB3 0QH
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-30
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-14
Last: 2025-10-31
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
FRANKS, Martin John→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2013-12-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FRANKS, Melissa Jane→
Activedirector · ~69y · appointed 2013-12-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (34 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2019-10-31