Property people: Beal Homes; Holden Smith; and more

Regional housebuilder, Beal Homes, has appointed a new construction director as it continues to drive growth in volumes and set the bar for build quality.

Andy Devine has joined the family-owned business from Barratt & David Wilson Homes, where he was contracts manager for the Yorkshire East area.

He succeeds long-serving John Goodfellow, who has retired following an 18-year tenure as construction director.

Devine, 44, brings 26 years of experience in the construction industry to Beal, having previously held a series of Yorkshire-based senior positions with national housebuilders. His remit is to oversee construction across all of Beal’s developments.

For the past six years Devine has been contracts manager for Barratt & David Wilson Homes – Yorkshire East. Prior to this, he was production manager for Linden Homes North and a site manager for Linden Homes and Barratt & David Wilson Homes.

Richard Beal, chief executive of Beal Homes, said: “Andy has an excellent track record of leading construction teams and delivering major developments while maintaining a strong focus on build quality.

“He is committed to putting the customer at the heart of the construction process and that’s a very good fit with our culture and growth strategy.

“While welcoming Andy to the business, I also want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to John Goodfellow’s huge contribution across three decades.

John Goodfellow

“As construction director, John has led the delivery of scores of superb developments and has played a key role in our sustained growth.”

The appointment of Devine comes as Beal gears up for the next chapter in the development of the business, with construction well advanced on a new head office at the Bridgehead business park in Hessle, East Yorkshire.

The £4.5m building will include an expanded Design Lounge where buyers work with the housebuilder’s expert designers to ensure their new home fits their lifestyle and tastes perfectly.

Mr Devine said: “This is a great move for me. I was attracted by the opportunity to move from a national Plc to join a growing, independent housebuilder that has such a strong commitment to building homes based on the wants and needs of buyers.

“There are very few housebuilders that are as ambitious as Beal or have such dedication to quality.

“I also wanted to be part of Richard’s exciting plans for the business. With the new head office due to open this year, which will boost further the service and options we offer to customers, it’s a very exciting time.”

Beal has also made another key appointment to its construction team, with Simon Parker promoted from site manager to contracts manager. Parker, 45, has worked continuously for Beal since joining the housebuilder as a 16-year-old apprentice.

Richard Beal added: “We’re committed to the training and development of all our employees and have an excellent record of growing our own talent.

“It’s always a proud moment when a member of staff who joined us in an entry level role progresses to a senior position.”

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Law firm Holden Smith has grown its specialist commercial property team with the appointment of commercial property solicitor, Simon Shires.

Shires will be based at the firm’s Huddersfield office and will act on a range of commercial property matters including business sale and purchases, commercial leases, option agreements, overage agreements and applications for certificates of lawful use and development.

James Smith, co-founder and director at Holden Smith, said: “Simon’s appointment is significant in the continued growth of our commercial property team.

“Simon is a highly regarded and well-respected commercial property solicitor, and his specialist knowledge in planning and environmental law will be of significant benefit to our commercial property clients as we continue to grow the department and our work with established SME property developers and landlords across the UK.

Shires said: “Holden Smith is a dynamic, forward thinking law firm and I am pleased to be joining at a time of significant growth for the business to further strengthen our commercial property law offering. The quality of work the firm continues to attract is excellent.

Holden Smith was founded in 2019 by James Smith and David Bancroft. The firm employs over 60 people and has offices in Huddersfield, Leeds, Halifax and Ilkley. It operates across residential and commercial property law, wills and probate and family law.

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Planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore, now Stantec, has promoted senior planner Lucie Jowett to the role of associate.

She has a wide range of planning experience in the commercial, retail, leisure and residential sectors.

Jowett is involved in all aspects of the planning process including providing strategic planning advice, preparing detailed evidence base documents to support planning applications and negotiating planning permissions, planning conditions and legal agreements with Local Planning Authorities.

She currently works with Harworth and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to bring forward development at Waverley New Community and the Advanced Manufacturing Park which includes new residential development, open space, a new local centre and employment uses.

She is also working alongside a multi-disciplinary team to bring forward a revised planning application for two million sq ft of rail-connected employment uses at Selby in North Yorkshire.

Jowett has worked for Barton Willmore, now Stantec, since 2017 and is currently based at the consultancy’s Leeds office.

Stuart Natkus, partner in the Leeds office, said: “This is a thoroughly deserved promotion for Lucie. She has been an integral part of the team for a number of years and her expertise, insight and understanding is highly valued by her colleagues and by our clients.

“I am sure she will continue to provide expert advice on a wide range of different matters in the years to come.”

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