Development

Development

Designed from scratch, for one market, in one location.

Our approach to residential development is end to end: sourcing the site, securing planning, designing the scheme, running construction and delivering the finished homes. We concentrate on prime central London, with selective deal-making in the capital’s other established hotspots.

26

SCHEMES, FROM MAYFAIR TO ST JOHN’S WOOD

100+

UNITS DEVELOPED IN CENTRAL LONDON

£800m

UNDER MANAGEMENT
Since 2006 we have developed more than a hundred units across twenty-six schemes, from Mayfair and Belgravia to Covent Garden, Kensington and St John’s Wood. The pattern is consistent: a building whose current use is worth less than its best use, a planning position that has to be argued rather than inherited, and a finished product designed for a buyer we can already describe. Several of these schemes were bought, developed and sold on behalf of private investors; others the firm took on its own account. In every case the work runs from sourcing the site to handing over the keys.

How we work

Deal sourcing

The best sites in prime central London are taken quickly and often quietly. We work closely with agents to secure opportunities on and off the market, and analyse each one in detail so that investors get maximum value from the capital they commit.

Delivery

We have built a reputation for delivering returns and results. Creativity and professional judgement are used to overcome the obstacles every London scheme presents, while keeping a sharp eye on cost, programme and the bottom line.

Creative insight

Each scheme is distinctively individual, and deliberately so. We design from scratch for a particular market and a unique location. Through our relationships with trusted agents we build a picture of the eventual buyer first, and develop the specification to match.

Exceptional quality

By focusing on one market we deliver beautifully designed, highly finished, bespoke homes. The attention to detail reflects a clear understanding of what premium residential property in London has to be today, including the ethical, environmental and design standards that make development sustainable as well as profitable.

Schemes in progress

St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden WC2

Restoring the building that housed Thomas Chippendale’s workshop, with consent for three apartments.

St Edmund’s Terrace, St John’s Wood NW8

Consented for nine apartments on land between Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park, in use until now as a car park and porter’s lodge.

Completed developments

Talbot Square, Hyde Park W2

A hotel on a private garden square converted to apartments and pre-sold in its entirety for £5.5m.

Princedale Road, Holland Park W11

The pub kept and improved, a new house behind it and two apartments. Site sold with planning permission in place.

Lexham Gardens, Kensington W8

A derelict Victorian house with a sitting tenant; offer accepted at £5.95m after twelve months.

Kingsway, Covent Garden WC2

Offices reconsented as a hotel and sold at £23m after twenty-four months, without a brick being laid.

Westbourne Grove and Queensway, Bayswater W2

A tired corner building bought at auction, its tenants bought out and its rent more than doubled. Valued at £3m.

Emperor’s Gate, South Kensington SW7

A declining Victorian building turned into six apartments with an added floor and roof terrace. Sold for £9m.

Conduit Street, Mayfair W1

Retail sold on day one, the upper parts converted to three apartments. GDV £20m in twenty-one months.

Whittingstall Road, Parsons Green SW6

A plain house with a large garden turned into four apartments, three of them pre-sold. GDV £3.8m.

Park Street, Mayfair W1

A Georgian house extended above and below ground, sold to the neighbour for £6.8m.

York Buildings, Covent Garden WC2

An eighties office block returned to residential: eleven apartments including two penthouses with river views. GDV £17.5m.

Refurbishment and asset management

Commercial Street, Shoreditch E1

A net return of over 3.5% a year on a long let after renovation.

Lexington Street, Soho W1

A listed flat rebuilt from scratch; a record short-let yield for the landlord.

Arundel Square, Islington N7

Acquired, refurbished and revalued for a first-time investor.

Kean Street, Covent Garden WC2

Fifteen percent added to value and a buy-to-let return of over 4% a year.

Cadogan Gardens, Belgravia SW1X

Listed-building refurbishment for an owner-occupier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions investors ask us

We have done both. Several schemes were acquired, developed and sold on behalf of private investors who wanted exposure to prime central London with an experienced partner; others were acquired by the firm and pre-sold. Talbot Square, for example, was pre-sold in its entirety to an Italian investor before completion and is still managed for him.

Yes. Through long-standing relationships with private banks, lenders, solicitors and tax advisers we support the financing, legal and tax structuring of each scheme, so that the ownership structure, the debt and the exit are designed together rather than bolted on afterwards. We coordinate the advisers; the formal advice on tax and law remains theirs.

Primarily residential: the refurbishment or reconfiguration of period buildings, conversions, and small new-build schemes in prime central locations. Our track record runs from single houses in Mayfair and Belgravia to multi-unit buildings in Covent Garden, Notting Hill and Islington.

Yes. We assess development and refurbishment feasibility, planning prospects and the likely value uplift, and can then take the scheme through delivery if you decide to proceed. See also our commercial advisory service.

Discuss a site or an investment

Call +44 (0)20 3951 3624 or write to us in confidence.