Administrators from Moorfields Advisory were appointed for Agile Property and Homes Limited on July 8, as the eco developer reportedly suffered from rising business costs.

Based in Culham, Oxfordshire, on its website it said it delivered “safe, civil and low-carbon affordable homes”.

READ MORE: Sara Cox’s BBC salary revealed amid £430,000 UK charity collapse

The business added: “We need a new housing model that provides places for people to live, whatever their household income.

“Our response to this need is an Agile home – an affordable, rapid-response housing solution that respects you and the planet.”

Its properties are made using naturally renewable materials, such as straw and timber, and are modular, meaning they are prefabricated inside a controlled factory environment.

The walls, floors and roof can take as little as a day to erect and can be ready to occupy in just six weeks.

A report in late June from The Telegraph included a quote from Andy Pear – one of the administrators – who said the company had struggled to adapt to rising costs as well as inflationary pressures.

READ MORE: Historic 550-acre Oxfordshire farm listed for £5.6 million sale

At the time, the newspaper said it was searching for a buyer as it prepared to appoint the administrators that are now in place.

In its latest accounts on Companies House – for the year to June 30, 2025 – it listed creditors falling within one year of £1,862,792 and debtors of £259,636.

During the same time it had an average of 13 employees a large reduction from the year before when it was at 22.

Valarian has secured a USD $50 million Series A investment led by New Enterprise Associates, taking the British technology company’s total funding to USD $70 million.

The round marks NEA’s first defence and dual-use investment in Europe. Other participants included Lightbank, XTX Ventures, Sequel, Litquidity VC, and angel investors Gokul Rajaram and Nikesh Arora.

The new funding will support the rollout of Valarian’s digital infrastructure across government, defence and enterprise users. The London-based company builds systems for organisations handling sensitive data and using artificial intelligence tools.

Its main platform, ACRA, is designed to let customers deploy AI while keeping data within their own environment. Valarian’s broader product set aims to help organisations govern, secure and expand AI use across public and private sector settings.

The deal comes as ministers place greater emphasis on domestic control over AI systems, data and computing infrastructure. The argument has gained traction as governments seek to reduce reliance on external providers for sensitive digital operations.

Kanishka Narayan, Minister for AI and Online Safety, linked the investment to that wider policy debate.

“Today, AI is the defining currency of both hard and soft power. To shape our own destiny, in accordance with our values, it is imperative that we build Britain’s sovereign AI capabilities. Pioneering British firms like Valarian understand the challenge in front of us and are building the solutions that will help us deliver a safer and stronger Britain. Investments like these are helping to keep the UK at the frontier of AI development, and complement the work we’re doing through our Sovereign AI Fund, AI Hardware Plan and more to build Britain’s AI strengths,” said Kanishka Narayan, Minister for AI and Online Safety, UK Government.

Sovereign focus

For Valarian, the pitch centres on control. The company argues that the ability to retain control of critical data, systems and technology was until recently limited largely to defence organisations and a small group of heavily regulated institutions. But AI adoption is making those requirements relevant to a much broader set of users.

That framing helps explain investor interest in businesses offering infrastructure rather than end-user AI applications. As adoption widens, companies and public bodies are increasingly examining where data sits, who manages access, and how models can be used without giving up operational control.

Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said the investment reflected confidence in the sector.

“To strengthen our national security, we need more innovative British companies like Valarian building the technologies that will define our future. This announcement is a strong vote of confidence in the UK’s world-leading defence and dual-use technology sector, and in the UK’s ability to build the critical capabilities our security and prosperity depend on,” said Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, UK Government.

Valarian was founded by Max Buchan and Josh McLaughlin and is headquartered in London. The latest round gives the company additional backing as it seeks to expand its presence in government, defence and commercial markets where data sovereignty is a procurement concern.

Buchan said the funding supports the buildout of domestic infrastructure for AI adoption.

“We’ve always believed Britain has the talent and ambition to be a global leader in AI. To do that, we need to build the sovereign digital infrastructure that allows government, defence and enterprise to adopt AI securely while remaining in control of their own data. This investment allows us to accelerate that work, strengthen sovereign AI capabilities and ensure more of the technology underpinning our future is built here in Britain,” said Max Buchan, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Valarian.

For NEA, the transaction extends a long-established technology investment strategy into a European defence and dual-use context. The venture capital firm said the decision reflects demand for new infrastructure layers as AI becomes more deeply embedded in sensitive environments.

Mustafa Neemuchwala, Partner at NEA, outlined the investor’s view of the market.

“The critical question of the AI era isn’t which model wins – it’s who controls the environment intelligence operates inside. Valarian answers that question with genuine defence-grade architecture. This is NEA’s first defence and dual-use investment in Europe, and we made it because Valarian is building the control infrastructure layer the sovereign AI era requires,” said Mustafa Neemuchwala.

The UK’s biggest water supplier, which has around 16 million customers across London and the South East, reported pre-tax profits of £226.4 million for the year to March 31 in a marked improvement from mammoth losses of £1.65 billion the previous year.

But full-year results showed the supplier’s debts swelled to £19.77 billion, up from £17.73 billion the previous year as the group said it continued to draw down to fund capital investment.

It comes as the stricken utility, which last year put up bills by up to 40 per cent, could run out of cash within months unless a funding deal is struck.

READ MORE: Oxford drivers fined excess of £750k for driving through LTNs

Creditors are battling to secure a rescue deal for Thames Water after Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds last month warned she did not believe the plan for the stricken utility goes far enough to protect customers or the environment.

It came as a last-minute blow for their hopes of a deal to stave off temporary renationalisation, with industry regulator Ofwat said to have been close to accepting the offer from bidding consortium London & Valley Water, which has proposed injecting £10 billion into debt-laden Thames Water in return for any new fines over sewage leaks being waived for four years.

Chris Weston (Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)

Thames Water said last month it had enough funding until September.

Chief executive Chris Weston said: “Thames Water today is a very different business from what it was two years ago.

“While we have a lot more to achieve, the progress we have made in turning the company around has meant we are now performing better and are in a strong position to accelerate the delivery of the biggest upgrade of our infrastructure in 150 years.”

He added: “While operationally the business is improving, we are also working with our creditors, regulators and Government to complete our recapitalisation.”

Mr Weston has also called for urgent clarity from prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham over his plans for the sector.

He told the Press Association Thames Water has enough funding until October and is relying on creditors for support as they battle to secure a rescue takeover to stave off temporary nationalisation of the debt-laden supplier.

He said while the situation is “not terminal”, he stressed the utility’s funding situation is “not sustainable”.

Thames Water said: “Bills alone cannot fund the required investment: Thames Water still needs debt funding, creditor support, and ultimately a recapitalisation.”