St John's Plant Centre at Clacton, which ran its Christmas Wonderland event in defiance of a local council ban, has closed and is in liquidation.

In November HMRC filed a winding up petition against the company, which is owned by Barnet-registered Floral Garden Group Ltd, which is listed by Companies House as a Retailer of “flowers, plants, seeds, fertilisers, pet animals and pet food in specialised stores”. Its main director is Anthony Clear. Mark Reynolds at Valentine and Co has been appointed liquidator.

Last September, Tendring District Council served an enforcement notice ordering the centre to stop trading and stop hosting its popular Christmas event. The council had failed in its application to the High Court to shut down the 2017 event because of alleged traffic chaos along its narrow access road.

The garden centre closed after the landowners submitted a planning application to build 210 homes and eight live-work units on the site.

The Winter Wonderland featured a miniature train that took children through a grotto to meet Santa, and brought thousands of visitors to the area every year.

The centre’s dispute with Tendring District Council involved other planning issues; reports suggest the site only had permission to operate as a wholesale outlet selling horticultural and agricultural goods to trade customers.