Property people: Wharfedale Homes; Preston Baker; and more

Knaresborough-headquartered housebuilder Wharfedale Homes has promoted Matthew Gibson to land and planning director to drive the business forward as it looks to expand across Yorkshire.

A chartered town planner, Gibson joined the firm in 2021 and has been promoted from land manager.

Previously he has worked with listed property companies Barratt Homes, Avant Homes and McCarthy and Stone.

Wharfedale Homes has a track record of delivering new homes throughout North and West Yorkshire and is currently onsite in Whitby and Burton Leonard, with a number of other sites in the pipeline.

Wharfedale Homes founding director, Chris Patmore has also retired, and his business partner since 2008 Mike Brown is now the sole owner of the business.

John Edwards, managing director of Wharfedale Homes, said: “Since he joined us, Matt has been integral to our continued growth and it is testament to his hard work that he has earnt this promotion.

“His new role will help us grow our pipeline of sites and increase the number of completed homes we deliver each year.”

Gibson added: “I’m really excited to head up the land and planning function and provide strategic input as the company successfully navigates through the ever changing political and planning environment.”

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Yorkshire company, Preston Baker, has appointed Kirsty Burrows as a property marketing director in Doncaster.

Burrows said: “I am passionate about helping people move and really do care about getting the very best outcomes for them.

“People move for all sorts of reasons and I see it as a privilege to be part of this process and to help people move into a new chapter of their lives.”

Burrows, who lives in Braithwaite, Barnby Dun, with her husband and two young sons, has been an estate agent for 16 years, after changing from a career in law following working for an estate agent while studying.

She said: “I took a job at an estate agents to help fund myself through my law degree at university and at the age of 19 was trained in valuation. I absolutely loved it and was really good at it.”

While completing her legal training, she worked full-time Monday to Friday at an estate agents and studied Saturday and Sunday.

Finally she decided to quit law and become an estate agent. “I love helping people move and to navigate their way through the process, to make it as easy as possible and get the result they want.

“It’s a changed housing market now and it pays to use an estate agent that will work hard for you, and we will do that.

“Preston Baker is a very forward-thinking estate agent and customer service is of paramount importance, with lots of innovative tools and technology to support the sales process.”

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Clarion’s expanding real estate practice has appointed another two legal directors to the team – Catherine Rhodes and Lisa Stratford.

With over 20 years of real estate experience, Rhodes specialises in real estate finance and corporate support transactions.

She acts for both landlords and tenants in relation to commercial leases as well as managing many large-scale corporate support transactions involving the sale or acquisition of extensive freehold and leasehold property portfolios.

She works mostly for owner managed businesses, lenders and individuals in addition to large corporates, across sectors including retail, manufacturing and transport/logistics.

With substantial experience of dealing with complex matters for a wide range of clients, Stratford has been a specialist property litigator for over 12 years.

She acts for investors and developers in an advisory and risk management capacity and is regularly instructed to deal with a wide range of property-related insolvency matters.

She has extensive portfolio management experience, acting for both landlords and tenants, including lease renewal and termination proceedings, dilapidations claims and rent and service charge disputes and recovery.

Stratford is also instructed in general property litigation matters such as those concerning easements, breach of covenant and nuisance.

Martin Grange, partner and head of Clarion’s real estate practice, said: “We’re really pleased to be welcoming two such experienced commercial property lawyers to the team – both Catherine and Lisa provide further strength in depth as we continue to provide real estate property advice to businesses across Yorkshire.

“It’s vital that we continue to invest in talent as, despite the current economic concerns, we are seeing resilience within the region and have a strong pipeline of work.

“Our dedicated property litigation team, led by Sophie Morley, is a team that is going from strength-to-strength.”

Rhodes said: “I’m excited to be joining one of the largest real estate teams in Yorkshire and one whose approach mirrors my own.

“Like Clarion, I believe it is vital to spend time getting to know a client’s business in detail and discussing exactly what their priorities are in order to deliver focused and practical advice and establish a long-term relationship.”

Stratford added: “Clarion has a reputation for being a straight-talking, client-focused firm and I’m looking forward to adding my skills to its excellent real estate practice.

“Providing no-nonsense, clear advice, in order to solve clients’ problems, is at the heart of what I do.”