Connells Group brand Gascoigne Halman is to open a new office – and has snared one of the region’s top agents to run it.

In Tarporley, Cheshire, the new office is due to open early in the new year and will be managed by Robert Reed.

Reed, a former chairman of the Chester Association of Property Professionals, is a regular broadcaster on TV and radio.

He was with Wright Marshall, the long-established property and auctions company in the north-west that went into administration in June this year, citing difficulties in its agricultural livestock business. The firm was subsequently bought out of administration by Lancashire-based Petty Estate Agents.

Reed, known on breakfast television as a commentator on property and politics, headed up the Wright Marshall Tarporley branch, overseeing some £50m of transactions year.

As a 16-year-old, he addressed the Tory party conference and was also the youngest ever panellist on Have I Got News For You.

Tarporley will become Gascoigne Halman’s 21st location.

John Halman, managing director, said: “Tarporley is a location that is an ideal fit for Gascoigne Halman, and Robert Reed is an excellent addition to our team. He is an innovative thinker, dynamic operator and knows the area backwards.

“His knowledge and work ethic, combined with Gascoigne Halman’s marketing techniques, will be an exciting combination.”