Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has expanded its advisory capability with the appointment of CPO specialist Simon Mole as Partner. He joins from Carter Jonas where he was a partner and led its South of England infrastructure and land assembly team.

In his new role Simon will lead on the growth of Montagu Evans’ CPO offer within the firm’s Development Advisory team.  He brings 20 years’ professional experience, 16 of which have been spent specialising in CPO, regeneration and infrastructure.

Alan Harris, Head of Advisory at Montagu Evans, commented: “Strategic land assembly sits at the heart of planning and development, and good CPO advice is an essential part of this.  It is critical to unlocking much-needed land for future development, whether for new housing, town centre regeneration or transport and infrastructure investments. In Simon we have a leading CPO expert with longstanding experience who will be an integral part of our growing team.”

Simon Mole, Partner at Montagu Evans, added: “The Levelling Up agenda has focussed many local authorities on the pressing need to regenerate towns, extend urban centres and provide new housing across the UK. Montagu Evans understands the important role CPO work plays in planning, development and regeneration and has an impressive track record in providing collaborative, strategic development advice across the whole of the country. This, coupled with the opportunity to join them at the start of their Advisory team’s new journey was a particularly attractive proposition. I am looking forward to adding value to the partnership’s existing client relationships and to developing new opportunities together.”

 

Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has announced its 2022 promotions, set to take effect from 1 April this year:

• Henry Elwess – retail and leisure agency (CAA)
• Kate Falconer Hall – historic environment and townscape (Planning)
• Kirill Malkin – commercial and retail planning (Planning)
• Bhavini Shah– healthcare and NHS assets (Advisory)
• Jonny Sharp – development and valuation (Advisory)
• Anthony Shaw – residential-led land development (CAA)
• Sam Stackhouse – residential planning including alternative living (Planning)
• Lucy Turner – commercial and retail planning (Planning)
• Scott Young – valuation (Advisory)

At the same time the firm has promoted nine people to Associate across its October and April promotion windows and 14 to Senior roles during the same period.

Rob Bower, Montagu Evans’ Managing Partner, said: “Montagu Evans has really become a place where individuals can find their specialism and develop their careers on their own terms with the support, and freedom, that a partnership structure provides.

“All of these promotions, which include our largest cohort of Partners to date and some people who started out here as graduates, are incredibly well deserved. They reflect the talent, hard work and dedication of our next generation, deepening the support we provide to clients as activity across all areas of our business continues to grow.

This week we are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week. An annual event that shines a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

Every day this week we’ll be focusing on some of the apprentices at Montagu Evans, and looking at what their apprenticeship has meant to them, and their advice for someone looking to complete one in the future.

How do you think the apprenticeship has benefited you?

After six months the benefits of working as an Apprentice have already become clear. The opportunity to work alongside, and learn from, several industry leaders on a day-to-day basis has already allowed me to gain a strong and diverse understanding of the property sector in a short period of time. Additionally, working in an office environment from a young age has enabled me to develop various professional skills that certainly wouldn’t be picked up from pursuing university full-time.

Has it met your expectations?

It has exceeded my expectations!

What has been the highlight so far?

Working within such a fantastic, friendly, and sociable Rating team has helped me to feel especially welcome in my first seat.

The facilities at St Mary Axe are also amazing!

Do you have a piece of advice for someone considering an Apprenticeship?

Although the idea of entering full-time professional industry at a young age may be daunting, the advantages of choosing an Apprenticeship are clear to see and I would strongly recommend anyone to give it a go!

How do you think the apprenticeship has benefited you

Gaining industry experience, exposure to colleagues and clients.
Having more resources for help with university work.
Building relationships at an early stage.
Attending special events and meetings.
Gain a better understanding of real estate as a whole.
Having a routine, which is often overlooked when you are a full-time university student.

Learning the theory at university and putting it into practice in the workplace.

Has it met your expectations?

Yes- the workplace has been flexible, varied and challenging. Whilst being introduced to a variety of projects, I have been ‘thrown in the deep end’ with appropriate guidance to both challenge me yet make me feel confident enough to complete. I learn from every piece of feedback I get and feel as though I am progressing from it. I have a very supportive team, and they have arranged great nights out!

What has been the highlight so far?

Attending site visits to see some interesting buildings, and seeing their potential.
Meeting clients/apprentices from other firms.

Forming good relationships both in and outside of the office.

Do you have a piece of advice for someone considering an Apprenticeship?

Say yes to everything you are offered which will benefit your career, and to get a wide range of experience. Also, always ask for feedback and put yourself out there and forward as much as you can.

How do you think the apprenticeship has benefited you?

It’s helped me put practice to theory. Being looked after by my seniors, being set projects, and getting to meet deadlines has really made me step out of my comfort zone, out of the classroom environment and given me invaluable experience in the workplace.

Has it met your expectations?

Absolutely, I have grown a lot as a designer and a problem solver during my apprenticeship so far.

What has been the highlight so far?

I created a set of iconography according to the company’s brand and a PowerPoint pitch deck. Alongside that I also redesigned the format and layout of the company’s internal newsletter!

Do you have a piece of advice for someone considering an Apprenticeship?

Make sure you choose a field you are actually drawn to before you apply, be willing to learn, make mistakes and humble yourself, make the most out of your apprenticeship experience, and lastly, because apprenticeships are somewhat new and not quite taken seriously in all households and by all parents, if you really want to follow a career path you are passionate about, do it regardless of the pushback you receive.

How do you think the apprenticeship has benefited you?

Firstly, I would say that the apprenticeship has given me the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of the real estate industry. Seeing all the different departments at Monty’s and all the different jobs people do has broadened my horizon of surveying. Furthermore, the environment that this apprenticeship is placed in has assured me that I will be able to grow, learn and develop over the next couple of years, even after my apprenticeship has ended. Overall, I feel that this apprenticeship has benefitted me massively and I hope to see and gain more of these benefits over the next couple of years.

Has it met your expectations?

Honestly, I feel that this apprenticeship has exceeded my expectations. One of the main factors being the culture here at Monty’s. Within the first couple of weeks, it felt quite easy to settle in as every person I met was incredibly friendly. The fact that I was able to be around some of the most senior members of the firm and have the chance to talk to them and see them on a regular basis was something which I really appreciated. It was nice knowing that people wanted you here and were willing to help and give any sort of advice whenever you needed it. Additionally, the organisation of the firm has been something which has impressed me a lot. The system that has been put in place to ensure people are not overloaded with work and are able to meet deadlines has stood out to me and shown me how great Montagu Evans can function as a team.

What has been the highlight so far?

In my opinion, the biggest highlight so far is the time spent towards team building. I think the company is doing a tremendous job in organising events so people from all over the firm can meet each other and build close relationships with their colleagues. This certainly helps with working on all sorts of different projects as you’re able communicate with your colleagues in an efficient and enjoyable way.

Do you have a piece of advice for someone considering an Apprenticeship?

My biggest piece of advice for someone considering an apprenticeship would be to understand the roles they’re applying for. From someone who had minimal experience working in the corporate world it is important that you understand what you will be doing on a regular basis and how much work you will be expected to do. Also, researching the culture of the company and having an idea of what the atmosphere would be like is a must when considering applying for apprenticeships. Ultimately, paying attention to these things would determine whether you’ll enjoy the apprenticeship, and I was fortunate that I held these things in such high regard as it hugely paid off. I was incredibly lucky, to be offered a role here at Montagu Evans and be at a company which has been recognised and commended for caring about the career progress and comfortability of all their employees.

In the financial year to March 2021, Montagu Evans continued its commitment to clients and the future of its partnership, investing £4.4 million in new technology and workspace and £2.6 million in its people, against a challenging economic backdrop.

Revenue was up to £52.4 million (a 4% YOY increase), as was distributable profit for partners (+6%) and the wider non-partner bonus pool (+26%). As a result of one-off office costs relating to relocation to new headquarters at St Mary Axe in the City of London, statutory profit was slightly down.

Managing Partner Rob Bower said: “Working in partnership has never been more important, and we saw a tremendous effort by our teams coming together to make a success of what has been a difficult year.

“Our market sector-focussed approach is adding value, with more clients relying on specialist advice across multiple service lines to support their transactions, management, development decisions and planning activity. We are also seeing more of a balance between public and private sector in our fee income and demand for a wider range of support – from vision, strategy setting and advisory work to proactive, day-to-day activity.

“Having made long-term investment decisions about our people, space and tech, even in the height of the first lockdown, we were pleased to see a very strong return to the office in April and we are more convinced than ever about the direction the partnership is taking. There is still more to do, including delivering on our long-term NZC commitments and becoming a more sustainable, diverse and inclusive business, but the direction of travel is clear, and progress is one of the Board’s priorities.

“Looking forward, London is a major focus – not just as a driver of the global economy but its ability to lead the way as the country levels up. There is increasing appetite for strategic, early-stage advice to help respond to the impacts of Covid, and our investment in the past year puts us in a strong position for further growth. This is reflected in our current year revenue which, at the end of November, was 30% ahead of last year.”

Montagu Evans has this week reinforced its commitment to a more sustainable future by becoming part of Business Declares, a movement for accelerating action around climate change, biodiversity loss and social injustice. Business Declares is an official partner of the UN COP26 Race to Zero Campaign and connects its members with this worldwide movement.

In our Net Zero Carbon Strategy, we will commit to the following principles:

• We commit to decarbonise our operations and supply chain, which includes reshaping how we serve clients, sustain reductions in travel and increase the use of zero carbon energy.
• We will embed the implications of climate change and other Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) related factors across the work we do with clients, from strategy to implementation.
• We will adhere to corporate reporting standards that Include comprehensive non-financial reporting practices.
• We commit to aid research and collaboration with other businesses, policy makers and organisations to accelerate the transition to a Net Zero Economy.

Over the coming months, and as part of Business Declares, the firm will share its plans with colleagues, clients and contacts, raising awareness further, working collaboratively and creating more opportunities for change.

It will also introduce more education, training and support; increase research and thought leadership, and scale up action through industry and policy engagement.

“Climate change is the defining crisis of our time and it’s happening even faster than we expected,” said Rob Bower, Managing Partner of Montagu Evans. “The transition to a low carbon world must accelerate to meet the commitments made in the Paris Climate Agreement. Our net zero strategy provides an essential platform to deliver this.”

To read more about Business Declares please click here.

For more detail on Montagu Evans’ Net Zero Carbon Strategy and to read our full declaration, please click here.

• 100% affordable scheme next to Crossrail station originally refused following local opposition
• Inspector found in favour of 19-storey height and high-quality design: “it is not correct to equate visibility with harm”
• LB Ealing is delivering 40% of its objectively assessed need for affordable housing

Southern Grove West Ealing Limited and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing have been given the go ahead on appeal for new homes on a site next to West Ealing tube and future Crossrail station.

Their plans to provide 144 (100%) affordable homes in a building up to 19 storeys with  ground floor retail/leisure space, amenities, and a communal garden with play space in a car-free development were originally refused by London Borough of Ealing Members on issues around scale, design and transport.

Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans advised on the original application.  Dr Chris Miele of its Historic Environments and Townscape team and Will Edmonds of its Planning team provided expert testimony to the inquiry.

Key issues under consideration were (1) the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area (including the quality of the design, and any impact on the setting and thereby the significance of heritage assets); (2) whether the affordable housing proposed is acceptable; and (3) whether the tilted balance should apply in the absence of the Council being able to demonstrate a five year housing supply.

• A senior Inspector, Paul Griffiths BSc(Hons) BArch IHBC, found the site to be chronically under-used given its current location and future importance when Crossrail opens.
• He described the plans as “an exemplary piece of design that would make a positive contribution to the area”.
• While the site was close to a Conservation Area the Inspector found that “it is not correct to equate visibility with harm”, taking into account the nature of the views and the area’s setting.
• He also considered the Borough’s housing supply, setting out that LB Ealing cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites (with the appropriate buffer) and is delivering at best, 40% of its objectively assessed need for affordable housing.

Dr Chris Miele, Partner at Montagu Evans and Historic Environments and Townscape specialist, said: “This decision is important for a number of reasons. First, the Inspector applied what I would call a character-based approach to the assessment, rejecting the Council’s characterisation of the whole area as suburban. Instead he looked at the particular characteristics of the site and noted its association with the railway and other sites along it, stretching down to Ealing, and all within an metropolitan town centre. Thus, the context for the proposals was that townscape element, and not adjoining lower density residential areas that it had less relationship with. Because he found no harm to character, and identified the architecture as exemplary, he did not need to apply the tilted balance in favour of the proposals which was otherwise engaged.

“Second, the Inspector also had to grapple with the new London Plan policy on tall buildings. While this site was not already designated for tall buildings, it had been allocated within a strategic site in the Local Plan, the design quality was exemplary and did not harm the character or appearance of the area or any heritage interest, so this policy was no impediment to the grant of consent. In other words, if a proposal meets the strict criteria testing in the suite of London Plan design policies intended to make best use of land, including in Policy D9 on tall buildings, then the failure of an LPA to allocate a site for a tall building was not fatal to the case.

“This decision also grappled with urban design considerations such as legibility and scale, which often come to be debated at inquiries,” he added.

Will Edmonds, Partner at Montagu Evans, said: “Where local authorities have an acute need for affordable housing, refusing well-designed, 100% affordable schemes at established and strategic growth  transport nodes needs to be carefully calibrated. The Inspector was clear in his judgement that fast tracking such developments is wholly appropriate.  Of particular note was the Inspector’s overwhelming support for the scheme against the Development Plan  when read as a whole; to the extent he concluded the tilted balance need not be applied in order to allow the appeal.”

Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has appointed David Jones FCA as Finance Director. He succeeds Donald Smith who is retiring from the partnership.

David joins from Colliers International where he was EMEA Finance Director, leading the London- and Prague-based EMEA finance function and sitting on the EMEA Executive leadership team.

At Montagu Evans he is responsible for the partnership’s finance and compliance functions leading a team of 11. He sits on the Board and will be working closely with the firm’s Heads of Department and sector team leads as part of his role.

Rob Bower, Managing Partner at Montagu Evans, said: “David’s track record in the property sector and forward-looking approach makes him the ideal fit for Montagu Evans as our much-valued colleague Donald Smith retires. We are continuing to invest in central services and business systems that will support our Partners and their teams, giving them more time for clients and collaboration.”

David Jones, Finance Director at Montagu Evans, added: “Montagu Evans stands out for its ethos and culture. There is real momentum and energy on the back of the relocation to a new office and the celebration of our centenary year, so for me the opportunity to be part of the next chapter with the partnership was extremely exciting and immediately attractive.”

Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has welcomed its first cohort of apprentices who will be undertaking the Chartered Surveying Apprenticeship over the next five years.

• Jamil Saiyed joins as Apprentice Surveyor with the firm’s valuation team.
• Jack Winterton joins as Apprentice Surveyor focussing on rating.
• Ellana Woodley joins as Apprentice Surveyor and will sit with the firm’s development team.

All three are studying for Real Estate BSc Honours (Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship) at Westminster University. They will rotate across the development, valuation and rating workstreams for their first three years, before joining the firm’s graduate rotation for their final two years working towards completing their APC.

The firm has also appointed Stan Tsvetkov to its graphic design team as he studies for Junior Content Producer L3 Standard with Creative Alliance.

Montagu Evans worked with My Kinda Future to make sure the new programme created opportunities for young people from underrepresented backgrounds in communities that the firm works in and serves. The firm held a virtual insight day in April and a virtual assessment centre in July as part of its selection process.

Rob Bower, Managing Partner at Montagu Evans, said: “As a partnership we care about developing our team to be experts in their fields and about succession planning over a sustainable period of time. Building talent through a programme like this creates opportunities for more people to get involved in property and will bring a new dimension, new ideas and innovation to our business, which we value.

“We’re proud to be supporting these very promising new team members in the first year of our programme and will be developing a scalable process to recruit and support future apprenticeship talent in the years ahead. Apprenticeships, internships, graduate programmes and creating other routes into the firm for people of all backgrounds and at all levels is an important part of our business planning.”

Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has welcomed its largest graduate intake to date in the partnership’s centenary year.

19 people join the firm this month working across all the business’s key areas, including planning, historic environment and townscape, development, valuation, rating, management and commercial advisory. They will also become part of the firm’s sector-based teams where experts from different disciplines come together to provide specialist advice for a wide range of clients.

The new graduate recruits are: Sophie Alcock, Gus Clode, Rebecca Craig, Alex Davies, Nicholas Dudzinski, Bethan Gwynne, Ellie Hagart, Louise Hannah, Amran Nagra, Leyla Ongun, Alex Partridge, Coco Pemberton, Shonagh Ramsay, Anna Roper, Charlie Scoular, Laura Snell, Vivienne Speirs, Findlay Stiven and Nick Summersgill.

Victoria Thompson, HR Director at Montagu Evans, said: “This is the first graduate intake at our new offices and we’re delighted to welcome everyone to the team. As well as being the largest intake so far, and the largest cohort of women for the second year running, it brings together people from a wider range of universities than ever before, many with first degrees in non-real estate subjects. Our increasing numbers and their breadth of experience reflects our continuing commitment to the next generation of talent, something we will continue to push in the months ahead.”

We Rise In and HYBR, two start-ups focused on diversity in real estate and support for first-time renters, have been named as winners of The ME100 Awards, part of planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans’ centenary celebrations running throughout 2021.

The initiative launched earlier this year to invest in two budding property sector entrepreneurs, giving them the partnership’s sponsorship and support for one year as they build their ideas and develop their business.

London-based We Rise In’s mission is to: ‘inspire, elevate, and develop the careers of black professionals whilst promoting inclusion, equality, and diversity in the real estate industry’. It works with individuals to hone the tools and skillsets they need to achieve positions of seniority in their career, and with companies to inform and educate – including career support, mentoring and leadership programmes for black employees.

Faith Locken, Founder of We Rise In said: “I am honestly so glad I applied for the ME100 Awards. The process was clear and easy to follow, and I felt informed and supported at every stage. Those who interviewed me were genuinely interested in hearing about my business which allowed me to relax and focus on presenting and answering questions. It’s great to know that one of the leading firms in the real estate industry believes in and wholly supports the We Rise In’s vision.”

HYBR, launched in Bristol, is a student accommodation platform that supports first-time renters offering a more personalised and tailored service than typical rental platforms while maintaining a competitive price point for landlords.

Hannah Chappatte, Chief Executive Officer of HYBR, said: “We’re at such a crucial and exciting part of our journey at HYBR and it’s so important to get backing, mentorship and funding from an organisation like Montagu Evans to future-proof the business. Together we’re going to transform the student accommodation landscape for the better.”

Each start-up is now set to receive initial financial funding of £10,000 as well as mentoring with the firm’s industry experts and core business functions (Finance, BD & Marketing and HR) and access to industry meetings, events and the firm’s business network. They are also set to have access to Montagu Evans’ new HQ in the City of London and its resources.

Adrian Owen, Partner at Montagu Evans, who sat on the Judging Panel along with five others from across the business, said: “These are two strong start-ups, with huge potential to transform the property sector in very different and positive ways. Their people were engaging, credible and passionate about what they do, and their specialist areas align closely to our business meaning we can add value beyond financial support.

“Above all, their focus on inclusion, diversity and financial accessibility has never been more important and we’re pleased to be able to support them in scaling up to the next level, particularly as a focus of our centenary celebrations is legacy and how the next generation can build their own.”