McCarthy and Stone is cementing the next stage of its exciting growth plans with the opening of a new North London regional office in Hertfordshire.

 

Under the North London banner, the UK’s leading retirement housebuilder will invest £300 million over the next 12 months to deliver 400 new purpose-built homes in 14 desirable locations.  In addition, it is looking to acquire an additional 15 sites over the coming year.

 

The ambitious plans will see McCarthy and Stone create in excess of 50 new jobs, and it is currently recruiting construction specialists at every level.

 

A new board of directors has been appointed, collectively bringing over 100 years of experience in the residential property industry.  Ali Maruf has been appointed as Regional Managing Director for North London, reporting into Operations Director, Mike Jennings.  He will be supported by Sales and Marketing Director Elaine Stratford, Construction Director Peter Creighton and Finance Director Andrew Wickett, who have joined from major housebuilders in the property industry.

 

The region includes all London Boroughs north of the Thames, starting from and including Richmond to the west, through to Barking and Dagenham in the east, in addition to the counties of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex.

Ali Maruf, Regional Managing Director for the new North London region, comments: “The launch of the new North London region highlights McCarthy and Stone’s commitment to investing in high quality, purpose-built retirement housing for the UK’s ageing demographic. With plans to invest £300 million in land and build in the region, we are meeting the pressing need for retirement housing.

By delivering specialist retirement properties in accessible, safe locations with tailored facilities, we can support over 60s in retaining their independence and pursuing active lifestyles for as long as they can and wish to. The knock-on effect to the wider housing market is that for every homeowner moving into a retirement property, a much-needed family home will be released, impacting on the whole chain including first time buyers.”

 

The launch of McCarthy and Stone’s latest region highlights the improvements in market conditions and the rising demand for retirement housing across the country. There is a significant nationwide need for more specialist retirement developments, with those aged 65 and over in the UK set to rise from 11.4 million in 2014 to 17.2 million in 2033. 

 

Of all developed countries, the UK has one of the lowest rates of moving among its over 65 population. Recent analysis by Demos, the think-tank, commissioned for the Home Builders Federation, found that 58% of over 60s are interested in moving home but that many are restricted by a lack of suitable alternative housing. One quarter expressed particular interest in buying a retirement property – a total of 3.5 million people – which dwarfs the c.110,000 retirement properties currently built for home ownership to-date.

 

Ali continues: “It’s an exciting time to be part of the retirement market as we respond to the growing and evolving needs of retirees and downsizers. As the UK’s leading retirement housebuilder, we see our role as two-fold. Firstly, we must continue to innovate our product and offer, and our new Ortus Homes brand is an excellent example of this.  Secondly, we must continue provide first class customer service and support, as demonstrated by our recent Home Builders Federation (HBF) 5* Customer Service award, which we are the only housebuilder to be awarded for 10 consecutive years.

With an ambitious growth plan in place, we’ve already hit the ground running in North London with over 14 sites currently under construction or in plan for 2015. We have invested in new appointments at every level, from experienced senior directors and land acquisition specialists, down to sales staff and construction teams to drive growth and delivery forward in the region.”

 

The launch of the North London region follows McCarthy and Stone’s recent announcement that it is to invest £2 billion across the UK during the next four years, developing 12,000 new homes across more than 300 locations and effectively doubling the size of its business.

 

For more information on McCarthy and Stone, visit www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk