Montagu Evans has brought to market a prime investment and development opportunity in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

1-3 Victoria Square occupies a 2.84-acre site opposite St Albans City railway station.

It comprises ‘The Gatehouse’, the 2,910 sq ft St Albans Register Office let to Hertfordshire County Council until 2034, alongside two offices: 2 and 3 Victoria Square, which extend to a total of 42,759 sq ft.

The historic site formerly housed St Albans Prison, which was built in 1867 and ‘The Gatehouse’ – formerly the governor’s residence – was used as the exterior of HMP Slade in the filming of the 1970s sitcom Porridge.

An office park was developed on the site in the 1990s.

Earlier this year, Montagu Evans’ planning and development teams helped obtain permitted development rights for the conversion of 2 and 3 Victoria Square to 55 apartments. PRP Architects has since prepared a feasibility study to consider optimisation, including potential extension and new build opportunities within the site.

Harry Charman, Senior Associate at Montagu Evans, said: “This is an excellent new investment and development opportunity, close to St Albans’ main commuter station with permitted development rights for new apartments already secured. A buyer is sought on an unconditional basis.”

For further information, including arranging access to the data room or scheduling a viewing, please contact us.

Montagu Evans has announced its latest round promotions as part of a continued focus on growth and progression within the partnership.

From the start of this month, 11 people take on new roles within the business:

• Matthew Boyd (Development Advisory), Tom Butler-Manuel (Residential Valuation), Harry Charman (Development Advisory), Jenni Cooper (Central London Planning), Matt Dickman (Development Advisory) Nick Pond (Historic Environments and Townscape) and Louisa Smith (Central London Planning) have been promoted to Senior Associate.
• Amelia Brook (Residential Valuation), Rachel McGall (Commercial Planning) and Hannah Polson (Valuation) have been promoted to Associate.
• Sophie Carty (Housing & Land Planning) has been promoted to Senior Planner.

Alan Harris, Managing Partner at Montagu Evans, said: “It is important for our business that we continue to create more opportunities to recognise talent and provide clear progression through the partnership. Congratulations to everyone starting a new role this month. Each promotion is a result of a consistent commitment to supporting our clients with deeper expertise and broadening skillsets, and all are richly deserved.”

Montagu Evans has made two appointments to its Executive Committee as the partnership gears up for further growth under new Managing Partner, Alan Harris.

• Julie Morrison (pictured on the right) joins the firm’s Executive Committee as Non-Executive Director. With 35 years’ experience working with professional services firms across industries, locations and scale, Julie’s background has included roles at KPMG, PwC and EY, where she was a partner in the London office. She has already worked closely with the Montagu Evans leadership on strategy development, engagement, performance and governance and now brings an experienced, external view to its 11-strong board.
• Anna Lind (pictured on the left) has been appointed as Director of Business Development and Marketing, also taking a seat on the partnership’s Executive Committee. With experience in legal and professional services and an MBA from Bayes Business School, Anna’s track record includes 12+ years at Norton Rose Fulbright and JLL, leading on client relationships and leveraging engagement and insight to drive business decisions and transformation. More recently, she has been focused on strategy and business transformation for international law firm RPC. At Montagu Evans, she will lead the firm’s business development, brand, marketing and communications functions, including bids, pitches and client engagement activity.

Alan Harris, Managing Partner at Montagu Evans, said: “We have entered a new phase of growth with a clear focus on the areas where our talented people can support clients’ ambitions most effectively. These specialist teams continue to tackle complex opportunities and unlock value across the public and private sectors UK-wide, and we remain committed to further investment that will allow us to achieve even more.

“Julie and Anna are outstanding appointments. They are very welcome additions to our leadership at an exciting time, and their expertise will add considerable value to the partnership as our plans take shape.”

Following a successful fully-Partner-funded capital-raise in autumn 2024 as a platform for growth, other senior hires include Amy Bracey and Kieran Webber in industrial & logistics; business rates specialists Julie Chalmers and Myles O’Brien; Jonny Stevenson in residential capital markets; Catherine Kidd in historic environments and townscape, and most recently Jonathan Essex in retail & leisure lease advisory – all joining as Partners. The firm’s latest Early Careers Cohort, including new graduates and apprentices, started earlier this month; internal promotions remain a focus, and recruitment at all levels in strategic business areas continues.

Plans for the city-wide regeneration of Southampton are moving a step forward with Southampton City Council’s selection of Montagu Evans as strategic development advisor.

The Southampton Renaissance Vision, unveiled in February 2025, is a long-term masterplan and prospectus produced by Prior + Partners alongside the Southampton Renaissance Board and Southampton City Council. It sets out a vision to transform the city centre, focusing on making Southampton a leading destination for investment, culture, innovation and resilience. The Renaissance Masterplan has identified capacity for up to 15,000 new homes, more than 2 million sq m of commercial and non-residential floorspace and supporting community infrastructure over the next two decades.

Montagu Evans and its team’s role is to support the move from vision to delivery: devising and executing delivery strategies for key development opportunities that will enable a comprehensive programme of regeneration across the city. Its work will include detailed technical analysis by the multi-disciplinary team, followed by the creation of project or area-specific strategies covering masterplanning/design, site assembly, planning promotion, commercial structuring, funding and financing, and development partnering and procurement. Opportunities for using a Revolving Regeneration Fund will also be explored.

Alongside this, the team is appointed to review and evolve governance models at the local and city-wide levels, building on the success of the Renaissance Board and engaging with local, regional and national stakeholders. All work will be undertaken around the Renaissance Vision’s six key themes: Connected, Destination, Green, Innovation, Neighbourhoods and Waterfront.

Councillor Sarah Bogle, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Southampton City Council, said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Montagu Evans into our Southampton Renaissance team. Montagu Evans brings in a wide range of technical expertise and experience, which will support Southampton’s goals to regenerate and transform the city centre  The Southampton Renaissance Vision set out the big ambitions that we have for our city, making it a destination that capitalises on our waterfront, green spaces and innovation, and the appointment of Montagu Evans will help us in taking the big strides needed to go from vision to reality.”

Oliver Maury, Partner at Montagu Evans and head of its Development Advisory team, said: “This is one of the most ambitious and strategically important regeneration programmes currently underway in the UK  Working closely with the Renaissance Board and wider project team, our role now is to think big and develop a clear city-wide delivery plan that will navigate complex market environments and create a platform for long-term investment, regeneration and growth  It will be essential at every stage to combine a strategic approach, commercial insight and practical delivery to ensure the vision is delivered effectively and the vision to refocus Southampton as a city of opportunity is realised.”

Montagu Evans will be leading a wider multi-disciplinary professional team, including vision masterplanner Prior + Partners as well as Grant Thornton, Mott MacDonald and Vail Williams.

The Southampton Renaissance Board includes Southampton City Council, Associated British Ports, University of Southampton, Southampton Solent University, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton Football Club, Go South Coast, Go  Southampton, Network Rail, Business South, Red Funnel, Southampton Chamber of Commerce and Southampton Forward.

Montagu Evans has appointed lease advisory specialist Jonathan Essex to its Retail & Leisure team.

Jonathan joins from Avison Young, where he was a Director for over seven years. He brings substantial expertise in rent reviews, lease renewals and regears, acting for a wide range of institutional landlord and tenant clients in the retail and leisure sectors. Jonathan also has considerable dispute resolution experience, being on the RICS Chairman’s panel of independent experts and arbitrators and regularly acting as an expert witness in arbitrations and independent expert determinations.

Based at the partnership’s London office, Jonathan will play a key role in growing the partnership’s activity in this area as part of its Commercial and Agency department. Alongside client delivery, he will support the development of colleagues, reinforcing the firm’s investment in the next generation of specialists during a period of continued growth.

Rob Lawson, Partner at Montagu Evans, said: “With the rebasing of historically high rents, and an uptick in tenant demand, we are seeing rental growth at rent review and
lease renewals for retail warehousing. Client demand for specialist consultancy in this area continues to grow, and Jonathan’s technical expertise, market insight and experience mean we are in a stronger position to add value long-term.”

Jonathan Essex, Partner at Montagu Evans, said: “Montagu Evans’ collaborative approach and ability to deliver high-quality cross-service advice clearly support clients in navigating complex lease negotiations and identifying new opportunities. Joining at this exciting time for the partnership offers a great opportunity to contribute to a growing team, alongside investment and agent colleagues, as well as lease advisory specialists.”

Montagu Evans has welcomed its 2025 Early Careers Cohort, bringing three new apprentices and sixteen graduates into the partnership.

This year’s graduates are Chante Bynoe-Gittens, Jai Chaudhry, Hannah Fraser, Rose Glassey, Archie Howells, Annie Johnson, Jack Lewis, Monty Littler, Milli Mahil, Lila Millard, Justin Parker, Lizzie Quail, Dhriti Shekar, Aaron Singh, Bella Turton, and Alastair Wilkinson. The apprentices are Kcee Cameron-Annikie, Destiny Gerry and Adam Saci.

Of this number, Justin Parker and Aaron Singh have completed three of their five-year apprentice journey and now move on to the business’s graduate rotation scheme. Destiny Gerry originally worked with Montagu Evans through the firm’s partnership with Pathways to Property at Henley Business School before securing an apprenticeship place. Jai Chaudhry, Jack Lewis and Alistair Wilkinson all joined the firm as interns before securing their graduate positions.

Recruits will gain experience across key areas of the business, with planning, advisory and agency roles all represented and a particular focus on the firm’s conviction areas: Residential, Public Sector, Industrial & Logistics, and Central London.

Through structured rotations, mentoring and professional development support across Montagu Evans’ London and Manchester offices, they will develop the skills and knowledge to build long-term careers within the industry.

Alan Harris, Managing Partner of Montagu Evans, said: “Developing future talent remains a priority for the partnership. As we put in place a strong growth agenda for the years ahead, empowering and developing our people will remain at the heart of our business. That begins with our Early Careers Cohort. Through graduate and apprenticeship pathways and our wider outreach work, we are proud to welcome individuals from a range of backgrounds and specialisms. Their fresh perspectives will add real value to our clients and our business.”