Richborough Estates, the leading independent strategic land promoter, has strengthened its senior team with the appointment of James Bradshaw.
James’s appointment comes at an important time for the Birmingham-based firm, with plans to continue expanding nationally over the coming year, and the residential market continuing to dominate debate on both national and regional levels.
Formerly strategic land director for the West Midlands at national housebuilder, Taylor Wimpey, James will be oversee Richborough’s Central and Western region portfolio. James will work alongside landowners looking to sell their land for residential development, progress the site through the planning process and manage the sale to a housebuilder.
Paul Campbell, Co-Managing Director for Richborough Estates, said: “The land promotion industry has transformed over recent years, going from a relatively new concept to become the procurement model of choice for landowners.
“The acute housing shortage has put pressure on skills and resource and as such the pendulum is swinging from housebuilder to promoter to help improve the flow of land for housing. As a mature player in a relatively immature market, we have the capacity to deliver land at the right time and in the right way.
“James is joining us at a key time. With an established pedigree in the Midlands market, he will be able to hit the ground running, managing a portfolio with a gross development value of up to circa £500 million and looking to expand the portfolio.”
James Bradshaw said: “My background has included acquiring and managing a large portfolio of projects from small single landowner sites up to much larger multiple owner developments in excess of 1000 units so I feel incredibly confident in terms of adding value to and delivering this regional portfolio”.
“From a strategic land point of view, the Richborough model is one that’s going to be around for a long time; it will be refreshing to be part of carving an expanding role for the business as land promotion becomes a key part of the traditional property market.”
Specialist strategic land promoters are increasingly viewed as an important source of land supply for the housebuilding industry, particularly at a time when local authorities are reviewing their local plans to help deliver a five year land supply for new homes in line with government policy.
As such, companies such as Richborough are being called upon to help secure planning consent in contentious or complicated locations and ensure the supply of land to the industry as well as protecting the interests of the landowner.
Richborough Estates has come a long way since launching with just three employees and a handful of sites in 2003. Steady growth has led to some 40 active projects and a team of 11 full time professionals with diverse backgrounds in the planning, surveying and building sectors.
Its USP is in its focus to work with local communities to ensure that development meets the needs of the local area, in this way increasing the value for everyone.