A businessman who was a key player in some of York’s most high-profile development schemes has been declared bankrupt.
Paul James Ellis, 47, powered several key schemes forward through his companies, most notably North Star (York) Ltd.
Mr Ellis, who lives in north west London, was declared bankrupt at the High Court Of Justice in November 2025.
His successes included creating the Malmaison Hotel on Rougier Street with partner company Grantside.
Mr Ellis was also involved in developing the Rialto House student flats projects on the Mecca Bingo site in Fishergate.
But he was also one of the partners in a number of schemes that were never delivered.
These included ambitious plans to create the Roman Quarter in Rougier Street, York.
But two companies involved in that proposal, Rougier Street Developments Ltd and Rougier House Developments Ltd, called in the liquidators in 2024 owing a total of £24 million.
Mr Ellis was previously a director of Heworth Green Developments Ltd, which planned to build 600 homes on the former gasworks site of Heworth Green. That also went into administration.
And a plan to turn the former TK Maxx store on Coney Street into a Hard Rock Café, brought forward by North Star, was scuppered in 2024 when the Hard Rock group pulled out.
In all, Mr Ellis is listed as a former director at 35 companies on the Companies House website.
The automatic discharge of his bankruptcy will be on 25 November this year.
