DEVELOPMENT EXPERT JOINS FHP AS GOVERNMENT SIGNALS HOUSING PUSH

Residential Land News

New opportunities to develop land for housebuilding will come to the fore under a new government which has pledged to increase the number of new homes being built.

And a Nottingham property consultancy is well-placed to help landowners and house builders make progress with the appointment of a specialist surveyor whose knowledge of the industry goes all the way from the building site to the planning committee.

Theo Till comes to FHP as a development surveyor with a knowledge of the industry which stems from his own family’s involvement in property.

He said: “My family has been involved in both development and investment, so I’ve practically grown up in property, getting stuck in on site and building up a knowledge of how development works literally from ground level.”

He joins FHP at a time when the business is celebrating its 25th anniversary while also pursuing an ambitious growth strategy.

Theo Till commented: “I came to FHP for two reasons. One was an opportunity to work with David Hargreaves, one of the founders of the business, who has enormous experience of making things happen in property, and the second was the chance to be part of a team that has a very entrepreneurial attitude.

There is enormous, pent-up demand for new housing and increasing the number of homes which get built is going to be a big priority for the new government, not just because of the demand but because it believes construction can give a boost to the economy.

The challenge is how to make that happen and one of the hurdles surrounds planning – which is where FHP’s expertise comes in. The breadth of our business means that we have a detailed knowledge of all aspects of the planning and development timeline of events, ranging from land acquisition and disposal, to planning and development consultancy, through to strategic and tailored marketing advice. But we also have a track record of finding innovative ways of making things happen.

My focus is on residential development consultancy and transactional advice – so if a client has land where they’re not sure of the potential we can develop an appropriate marketing strategy based on our market knowledge and the current status of strategic planning in the area, which can have a decisive impact on the sale price of their land.”

David Hargreaves said: “By common consent, the residential market looks like it is in for a period of sustained, long-term growth and there are many locations across the East Midlands where we believe the pent-up demand for new homes is going to make itself felt pretty quickly.

“We’ve been involved in this market for many years, all the way from development through to residential sales by our estate agency business, FHP Living. In Theo, we have appointed someone whose age belies his detailed experience of the market. He will be in a very strong position to advise landowners and developers at a time when the market is going to have to find a way of overcoming planning hurdles to meet demand.”