Property people: Urban; P+HS Architects; and more

York-based Urban has recruited a new head of its maintenance and energy services division which delivers maintenance, retro-fit and remedial solutions for social housing providers around the UK.

Ben Jenkinson has joined the team with 25 years’ experience operating at director level in housing, construction and maintenance services for several Tier one main contractors.

He will run the maintenance and energy division at Urban, as well as working with a strong team of direct staff, engineers and supply-chain partners to ensure the highest levels of quality and service are delivered.

Jenkinson said: “I have worked with some of the largest social housing providers in the UK and look forward to working with a great team at Urban to future-proof housing stocks.

“As well as new build, we offer a seamless retrofit service from assessment to design, installation and after care.

“From domestic energy generation solutions to the next generation of energy saving devices and products, we also deliver remedial work to solve issues such as damp mitigation, insulation and glazing, something which is very much front of mind at the moment.”

Brendon Hutchinson, group managing director at Urban, added: “We are happy to have secured such a high calibre new recruit to the Urban Group.

“Ben has a raft of experience at a senior level within the housing sector. Commercially minded, he will be an asset to the team who will continue to deliver effective maintenance and retrofit measures for Housing Association and local authority clients.

“He will also help to grow our newly launched zero carbon division, providing a seamless  retrofit service across the social housing sector, which will complement the other Group Divisions who also have a focus on this sector.”

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P+HS Architects has confirmed the appointment of a new technical manager.

Associate Steve Hatcher, a senior architectural technologist with the practice, steps into the role with a remit to lead on technical strategy as P+HS moves towards its 40th year of business.

Hatcher, based in Stokesley will be supported by technical leads in the firm’s other two offices: Joe Davenport in Leeds and Andy Scollen in Newcastle.

At the same time, BIM (Building Information Modelling) leads have been appointed to focus on the strategic direction and challenges of BIM.

Technical director Pete Stead explained: “P+HS Architects is known for its consistent high quality and service, and we are proud of our reputation.

“Maintaining that reputation and our high level of expertise is more challenging than ever in today’s fast paced climate of changing legislation and technology.

“Our clients depend us on to provide the very best advice and service and we are committed to doing just that; by splitting the strategic responsibility for Technical and BIM operations, each workstream will have a dedicated focus ensuring that we remain ahead of the game.”

Colleagues stepping into BIM lead roles are architect Ben Lillywhite and architectural technologist Chris Smith.

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Law firm Freeths has promoted partners John Flathers, James Hart and Alice Dockar into regional leadership roles in the Northern, Midlands and Southern regions.

Each role is responsible for co-ordinating real estate teams in these three regions across the 12-office strong firm, all of which provide real estate services to clients across the UK.

Flathers will manage the co-ordination of the Northern region comprising of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, Hart across Birmingham, Derby, Leicester and Nottingham and Dockar in Bristol, London, Milton Keynes and Oxford.

All three partners will support the firm’s national head of real estate, Darren Williamson, through their new roles.

Williamson said: “With the combination of the ‘home grown’ talent that James brings, John’s experience from 27 years at Irwin Mitchell and with Alice having joined us last year after 19 years at Herbert Smith Freehills, these appointments will help further our sector aims.

“The high calibre of these astute real estate lawyers coupled with their business acumen will assist us in furthering our ambitions for growth and to be the go-to firm for real estate lawyers looking for a fulfilling career in a supportive environment. It is a huge pleasure to welcome them into their new roles.”