Knight Frank adds Cheltenham new homes team to its regional offering

Knight Frank has announced it is adding a new homes team in Cheltenham to its regional residential development offering.

The firm has appointed Sarah McKinnon to head up the new team. Previously an associate director at Savills, McKinnon joins Knight Frank with 30 years of real estate experience – 16 years of which has been spent operating in the Cheltenham market.

In 2019 McKinnon joined Savills to launch its Cheltenham New Homes team; prior to this she spent 20 years as an office manager at Hamptons International.

Also joining Knight Frank is Katy Reynolds, who launched Savills’ Cheltenham New Homes team alongside McKinnon in 2019. Reynolds spent three years selling prime property at Pearsons Estate Agents in Winchester and Kingsley Evans in Cheltenham before moving to Savills. She joins Knight Frank as a Sales Manager.

In recent years, McKinnon and Reynolds have been responsible for selling the largest residential schemes in Cheltenham and across Gloucester.

At Knight Frank, they will be based between Cheltenham and Cirencester, and their remit will cover developments in Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds, Worcestershire and Wiltshire. McKinnon and Reynolds will work with clients to progress and manage major new homes schemes through the development and sales process. Their previous experience includes working with the region’s biggest housebuilders and developers, including CALA Homes, Berkeley Homes, Linden Homes and Telereal Trillium.

Chris Priestley, head of central New Homes at Knight Frank, said: “Sarah and Katy are well known in Cheltenham for their unparalleled knowledge and understanding of the local market. They are both trusted and highly regarded by their clients, and over the years have built up an excellent reputation for working on some of the region’s most important new developments. We’re delighted that they have joined Knight Frank to set up the new homes team in Cheltenham.”

Mark Evans, head of regional residential development & investment at Knight Frank, added: “These latest hires are part of Knight Frank’s continued growth and expansion plans in the regions. The appointments of Sarah and Katy bolster Knight Frank’s wider land and new homes offering, which now covers Cheltenham, Cirencester, the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire, as well as the Midlands, the Southeast, the Southwest, and Devon and Cornwall.”

Supporting Knight Frank’s new homes offering in the region is the firm’s Land Agency function. In 2021 the firm appointed Nick Madden, who was brought on to provide land agency and consultancy advice on regional residential developments, site acquisitions, and disposals across Knight Frank’s central region.

Ed Woolgar joins Russell Simpson as new head of lettings 

Russell Simpson in London has appointed Ed Woolgar as its new head of lettings.

Woolgar, who has worked in the residential letting for 18 years, was previously a senior associate director at Strutt & Parker’s Chelsea office, managing the lettings division in South Kensington.

He previously worked as an associate director at Chestertons and a residential letting director at Harrods Estates. He most recently worked at Cluttons for a short period.

In his new role at Russell Simpson he will be leading a letting team operating within the prime areas of Chelsea, Kensington, Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park, and surrounding locations.

Woolgar commented: “The move will enable me to utilise my years of experience in prime central London to grow the lettings offering and support the well-established team. I look forward to working with Russel Simpsons’ impressive client base to find and let properties of distinction.”

Russell Simpson’s managing director, Alan Russell, added: “Ed is taking over from our previous head of lettings, Charlie Woods, who has done an exceptional job of growing our team over the past five years. We look forward to welcoming Ed to now expand our lettings offering further by utilising his wealth of experience operating in our key prime Central London areas.”

David Jervis takes charge of Burrington Estates new homes business

Burrington Estates (New Homes) Ltd has appointed David Jervis to the position of group managing director as the original company founders Mark Edworthy and Paul Scantlebury step away from the day-to-day running of the business. David joined Burrington Estates three years ago to lead the launch of the company’s new Central England division, following its success in the South West, and now takes operational control of the whole housing business.

Established in 2013 and headquartered in Exeter, Burrington Estates is a well-established developer across South West England having completed almost 600 homes in the region in the past six years.

Jervis has a strong track record in the housebuilding industry, having set up Spitfire Bespoke Homes in 2010 as the residential development arm of IM Properties. At Burrington Estates, he will continue to head up the central division and work closely with Grayham Tucker, the MD for the South West region.

Jervis said: “I am very grateful for the opportunity that Mark and Paul have given me, building on the great work that they have achieved so far. I am lucky to be put in charge of a great team, with a strong brand and excellent sites, where there is huge potential to continue to build a sustainable business for the long term. There are many changes occurring within the housebuilding industry, and we need to maintain and enhance our focus on excellent design, quality and customer service.”

Grayham Tucker, MD of Burrington Estates (South West), added: “The brand is strong as ever and I am looking forward to working with David to gain traction on the synergies between both regions and for the new homes business to excel even further.”

Comings & Goings