Fiducia Group: News

Henry Davidson winning Bannerbrook Park users

A new local centre in Coventry is proving a big hit even before it has been built.

Bannerbrook Park local centre on Banner Lane will serve the 1,000 new homes being built on and around the former Massey Ferguson site at Tile Hill.

The company behind the new £5 million scheme - Henry Davidson Developments – is hoping to start work on the project before the end of the year and has already attracted several new businesses.

Bannerbrook Park local centre includes eight retail units with apartments above, plus sites for a pub, doctors’ surgery and possibly a children’s nursery.

Already convenience store Spar has agreed a lease on the 4,000 sq ft anchor unit, while other tenants who have signed up include a dentist and two takeaway food outlets.

Now Henry Davidson Developments is hoping to attract other users to the scheme.

Andy Radford, of the firm, said: “We are very encouraged by the interest in Bannerbrook Park. The whole of the area is being regenerated and some very pleasant housing schemes have been built and more are in the pipeline.

“It is essential when new communities are being created that there is adequate provision for the residents, and Bannerbrook Park is designed to do just that.

“We are in talks with several operators and are hoping to attract other tenants including a pharmacy and hair & beauty salon.

“We are currently going through a tender process with construction companies and hope to announce the successful contractor before the summer.”

The sites for the pub, nursery and doctors’ surgery are also attracting interest.

Radford added: “We intend to build out the retail and apartment phase first and then construct the other larger bespoke units as we attract occupiers.

“That is in its early stage, but initial soundings to those particular markets have been positive.”

Bannerbrook is being marketed by Fisher Hargreaves Proctor and Coventry-based Shortland Horne.

David Penn, of Shortland Horne, said: “Henry Davidson Developments have a track record in schemes of this type and have recently completed similar projects in Leicester, Peterborough and Milton Keynes.

“This part of Tile Hill has been transformed in recent years and is a very pleasant living environment and this local centre will complement it perfectly.”

Monday 1st June 2009

Tesco Signs up at Lancashire's Buckshaw Village

Tesco has signed up to anchor a £35m leisure scheme in Lancashire which is part of the Buckshaw Village development in Chorley.

It has taken a 35,000 sq ft store at Henry Davidson Developments’ 18 acre scheme at Buckshaw Village.

The scheme is one section of the regeneration of the 650-acre former British Aerospace and Royal Ordnance site to develop a 4,000 home village and 127 acres of commercial space.

Development Securities funded the purchase of the site, which is now being developed by Henry Davidson Developments with the residential element masterminded by a consortium of housebuilders.

A railway station, health centre and primary school are also planned on the site.

The Tesco deal is the first at the 18 acre portion of the scheme currently being developed by Henry Davidson Developments’ subsidiary, Eden Park Developments (Buckshaw).

The scheme will also include 56,000 sq ft of retail space and around 70 apartments.

Henry Davidson Developments managing director Scott Davidson said: ‘This is a very exciting scheme, part of an award winning development aimed at regenerating the area after the loss of the British Aerospace site.

‘The fact that we’ve signed Tesco for the anchor store means we expect a high level of interest from national operators keen to benefit from the footfall it will generate.’

Article from www.propertyweek.com, 11/05/09.

Wednesday 13th May 2009

Go ahead for Bridgwater Local Centre

Sedgemoor Borough Council has resolved to grant detailed planning consent for Henry Davidson Developments’ proposed local centre development at Stockmoor Village, Bridgwater.

The proposed development includes the erection of a convenience store, six retail/commercial units, care home, public house and 27 dwellings.

The site sits adjacent a new 470 place junior school, which will be built commencing 2010.

Henry Davidson Developments’ scheme has been designed by Jefferson Sheard Architects and is intended to provide a focal and community point for the Stockmoor and Wilstock Village developments, where a total of 1500 homes are underway and planned.

Development manager Phil Daniels from Henry Davidson Developments commented - "We have liaised closely with Sedgemoor Council Planners on this scheme and are pleased to have been given the seal of approval - our design integrates closely with the adjacent residential development and provides a modern and visually attractive mixed use development so important to modern housing developments".

Tuesday 7th April 2009

Planning Success for Buckshaw Village District Centre

The first phase of Henry Davidson Developments’ Buckshaw Village commercial quarter development has been granted detailed planning permission by Chorley Borough Council.

The initial phase of development will be a district centre to be built around a 35,000 sq ft foodstore, to be complemented by 21,000 sq ft of ancillary retail and restaurant space, a children’s day nursery and 72 upper level apartments.

The district centre site is part of 19 acres of commercial development land purchased in 2007 by Henry Davidson Developments’ sister company Eden Park Developments. The scheme will provide a comprehensive range of service to support the award winning Buckshaw Village - a major urban development being undertaken by a consortium of house builders that will ultimately deliver 4,000 homes and a new train station.

Scott Davidson, managing director of Henry Davidson Developments said “Buckshaw Village is an excellent example of how regeneration should be done and we have worked hard in conjunction with the other stakeholders to create proposals for an exciting and sustainable district centre. We are of course delighted that these proposals have now been given the ‘green light’ by Chorley Borough Council”.

Wednesday 14th January 2009

Completion for Henry Davidson Developments at Hamilton Local Centre

Mixed use developer Henry Davidson Developments has reached practical completion at its Hamilton Fields local centre to the north-east of Leicester.

The scheme comprises 15,700 sq ft of commercial space – 8 retail units and children’s day nursery – with traders including Sainsbury’s Local, Mark Jarvis bookmakers, a pharmacy and a dental surgery.

The scheme also includes 51 one and two bed apartments that are held by sister company Edition Homes and which are being let on Assured Shorthold Tenancies.

Henry Davidson Developments director Andy Radford said "we worked closely with the land owner and master developer to create this high quality neighbourhood scheme, which boasts a comprehensive range of uses and sits at the heart of the Hamilton Fields community".

Monday 12th January 2009

Henry Davidson Developments secures 4.5 acres for district centre development

Specialist mixed-use developer Henry Davidson Developments has secured a 4.5 acre site for the development of a proposed district centre at Stanground, Peterborough. The site lies within a major residential expansion area to the south-east of Peterborough, which will ultimately provide 1,500 new homes and a new primary school.

The proposed development includes almost 50,000 sq ft of commercial space, to be anchored by a 35,000 sq ft food store. Also included in the mix are a health centre, public house, care home and sheltered housing.

Nick Morgan, development director for Henry Davidson Developments commented that “we are delighted to be involved in this major extension of Peterborough – our scheme will be a real focal point for the new community, providing a comprehensive range of local services for local residents”.

Tuesday 30th December 2008

Hampton Vale Local Centre up and running

Henry Davidson Developments’ latest local centre scheme at Hampton Vale, Peterborough is now up and running, with all elements having achieved practical completion.

The site was acquired from O&H Properties to provide local facilities to support the continued growth of the new Stanground township to the south of Peterborough.

The development boasts some 20,000 sq ft of retail / restaurant space along with a new family public house / restaurant operated by Marston’s and 41 one and two bed apartments.

The retail line-up is headed by Tesco convenience brand One Stop, with other traders including Subway and Ladbrokes.

The apartments are held by sister company Edition Homes and are being let on Assured Shorthold Tenancies.

Henry Davidson Developments associate director Richard Croft said “we worked closely with the land owner and master developer O&H Properties to create this high quality local centre scheme, which now offers a range of services to support the surrounding Hampton community”.

Tuesday 4th November 2008

Henry Davidson are selected developers for the commercial hub of Lawley Village Telford

Henry Davidson Developments have been awarded the mixed use local centre within the new urban extension to Telford known as Lawley Village. Securing this project reinforces the companies standing as one of the premier developers of local centres in the United Kingdom.

The development is being built on a 70ha site in Telford, which is primarily brownfield land. In totality the master plan will comprise some 3,300 homes along with offices, restaurants, bars, hotel, healthcare, shops and vital infrastructure including a school, parkland etc

The residential development is being undertaken by the IDG consortium (Ironstone Development Group) which includes Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Homes. Henry Davidson fought hard to secure the village centre and is delighted to work alongside the UK’s largest house builders.

It is hoped, that subject to obtaining reserved matters consent that development will commence Q3 2009. The site will benefit from main road frontage to a new distribution road which leads directly to Junction 6 off the M54.

Lawley is a groundbreaking urban development, setting standards on how a large sustainable community can be designed, created and integrated with an existing town. It will contribute to the urban renaissance through its role as a national example of best practice in sustainable growth and act as a model for the design of other urban extensions across the country.

It is the largest development of its type in England and will be made up of four neighbourhoods Newdale Valley, Lawley Village, Lawley Bank and Newdale - all based around Lawley Square. When complete, Lawley Village will take the existing Ward population from 6,335 to well over 15,000 people living in almost 6,000 houses.

Scott Davidson Managing Director of Henry Davidson Developments commented “We are delighted to have secured this signature development. This project is the pinnacle of our drive within this niche market. Having secured Buckshaw Village in Chorley last year, Lawley has moved the business once again into the National spotlight.

In conjunction with our Joint Venture Partners, Development Securities PLC, we are able to present a robust offer backed by a strong experienced team and underpinned by excellent financial support”.

Thursday 14th August 2008

Henry Davidson’s Scott Davidson named Property Entrepreneur of the Year

Scott Davidson, MD and founder of mixed use specialist Henry Davidson Developments, has been named Property Entrepreneur of the Year.

Scott, 45, who set up the company with Chairman John Henry in the 90s, won the award on the strength of the phenomenal growth of his firm since its launch and its predicted eightfold expansion over the next four years.

One key feature which clinched the Nottingham Evening Post commercial property award, presented at a glittering ceremony at the East Midlands Conference Centre, was his success in securing a £100 million geared funding deal with Development Securities PLC.

The first four sites to be purchased under the deal have a total gross development value of £65 million.

Scott beat off competition from well known Nottingham face Charles Fish and Stan Crawford OBE.

Henry Davidson Developments, which specialises in neighbourhood retail schemes and town centre redevelopments, and its holding company The Fiducia Group, are predicting a rise in turnover from last year’s £18 million to £135 million by 2011.

Scott said: “I am honestly completely bowled over to have won this award. I was up against some very worthy competition. The successes we’ve achieved would not have been possible without the fantastic support and hard work of the whole team. We have an exciting and very busy year ahead and are on target to meet our plan to secure 12 new neighbourhood centres and one major mixed use scheme a year.”

Henry Davidson, which has excellent relationships with the UK’s leading volume house builders, is currently working on around £66 million of neighbourhood schemes including developments in Milton Keynes, Somerset, two in Norfolk, Peterborough, Banbury, Leicester, Doncaster and Newark, and a £25 million leisure and retail regeneration scheme in Llanelli.

Its sister company, commercial developer Eden Park Developments, is working on a £50 million retail and commercial centre in Preston.

Wednesday 5th March 2008

Henry Davidson predicts healthy year despite tough market

Mixed use specialist Henry Davidson Developments is on line to achieve its planned business growth in 2008 despite the tough year facing the sector, says MD Scott Davidson.

He says targets set in last year’s three year growth plan to secure 12 new neighbourhood schemes countrywide in the coming 12 months are still achievable, thanks to a combination of secure forward planning, solid lines of debt and equity and a stable neighbourhood retail sector.

Henry Davidson, one of the country’s leading mixed use developers, specialises in creating neighbourhood centres for new housing developments comprising retail, restaurant, community and healthcare elements, enabling housebuilders to comply with section 106 regulations.

“Some of our competitors have pulled out of deals due to their inability to fund schemes,” explained Scott Davidson.

“Because we have good strong lines of debt and equity in place, including a £100 million geared funding arrangement with Development Securities PLC, and a clear mandate to be acquisitive we are picking up opportunities. Although the investment market is generally down, the change in the neighbourhood sector yields is small in comparison. These falls were predicted and have been catered for in our appraisals.

“The recent interest rate reduction and anticipated further drops, as well as the reduction in the LIBOR – London Interbank Offered Rate - should ease the debt market.

“The foundation of our projects remains retail and this sector is strong with Sainsbury, all Tesco brands, including Express and One Stop, and Spar continuing to grow. These, plus new entrants to the neighbourhood retail market such as the recently merged Co-op and Somerfield, mean, in short, that demand has never been better.

“There is no doubt though that there is a tough year ahead and complacency is not – nor has it ever been – on the agenda.”

Henry Davidson is currently working on around £66 million of neighbourhood schemes including developments in Milton Keynes, Somerset, two in Norfolk, Peterborough, Banbury, Leicester, Doncaster and Newark, and a £25 million leisure and retail regeneration scheme in Llanelli.

Wednesday 6th February 2008

£100m Development Securities PLC deal enables Henry Davidson to buy 2.7 acres for £9m Somerset local centre

Mixed use developer Henry Davidson Developments has completed the purchase of a 2.74 acre site in Bridgwater, Somerset on which to construct a £9 million neighbourhood centre.

It is the latest in a series of acquisitions for Henry Davidson and its sister company, commercial developer Eden Park Developments, under a five year £100 million geared funding arrangement with Development Securities PLC.

The scheme, in the centre of Stockmoor Village, a new community currently under construction, will offer around 10,000 sq ft (929 sq m) of retail units, 42 one and two bedroom apartments, some of which will be affordable, a two storey public house and a 60 bed care home for the elderly.

A planning application is expected to be submitted in April or May with start on site anticipated in January 2009 and completion early in 2010.

The land, half a mile from junction 24 of the M5, was purchased from Persimmon Homes who are overseeing the construction of the new village, with plots currently sold to Charles Church and Barratt.

The centre will also serve another neighbouring new village, Willstock, under construction by Bloor Homes, and between them the two communities will provide almost 1,500 homes. Stockmoor’s first occupants moved in over the Christmas period and developers plan to build 200 to 250 homes a year across both developments, with around 1,200 completed by 2010.

Henry Davidson Developments, one of the UK’s leading developers of mixed use schemes plans to vastly increase its portfolio of neighbourhood centres thanks to a £100m five year geared funding deal with Development Securities.

Director Andy Radford explained: “We have excellent relationships with a number of the country’s leading volume housebuilders who are obliged under planning regulations to provide neighbourhood centres. As experts in mixed use retail and community schemes we can enable them to comply with planning policy while they concentrate on their core business.”

Development Securities PLC executive director Matthew Weiner added: “This is another very good deal under our partnership with Henry Davidson Developments. The new mixed-use centre, which includes an affordable element and provision for a care home, will do much to address both the housing and retail needs of the local community.”

Other purchases made under the Development Securities funding arrangement over the past six months are a £50 million 20 acre mixed use scheme on a former British Aerospace and British Ordnance site at Buckshaw Village, Preston in Lancashire for Eden Park, a £6.1 million commercial scheme in Oxley Park, Milton Keynes, a £3.4 million neighbourhood centre and apartment scheme at RAF Watton in Norfolk for HDD and a £5 million neighbourhood centre near Stansted airport in Essex.

Thursday 10th January 2008

Henry Davidson to start work on £7 million neighbourhood centre in Hamilton

Mixed use specialist Henry Davidson Developments, part of the Fiducia Group has started work on a £7 million neighbourhood centre on a new residential development in Hamilton, Leicester.

The two acre 40,000 sq ft high density mixed use North Hamilton Local Centre will service the neighbouring 1,400 homes – set to grow to 3,000 by 2010.

Work on the commercial and nursery access element of the centre is expected to be completed by September 2008, with the residential to be finished in stages between October and December 2008.

It will consist of 10,000 sq ft of retail space, anchored by a 3,500 sq ft Sainsbury’s and including a 1.250 sq ft Lloyds pharmacy, a 4,600 sq ft children’s daycare nursery, a 1,200 sq ft dental surgery and 53 one and two bedroom apartments.

Henry Davidson associate director Martin Lewis said: “Our superior ability to create a flexible and responsive scheme in the face of changing planning laws and constantly evolving retailer requirements means Henry Davidson has succeeded in winning an increasing number of large and important schemes.

Thursday 4th December 2008

Doncaster’s strategic importance heralds development of £4 million neighbourhood centre

Doncaster’s increasingly strategic importance as a centre for business has attracted Nottingham-based mixed use developer Henry Davidson Developments to invest in developing a £4 m neighbourhood centre on the Woodfield Plantation.

The company, part of the Fiducia Group, is nearing completion of the 10,000 sq ft (930 sq m) scheme, which will be providing services to residents of the area’s 1,100 new homes by October 2007.

The two acre centre is already proving very popular among retailers, with five of the units let before development began. One Stop Stores (part of Tesco group), Coopland bakers, Pagebet bookmakers, a Chinese takeaway and a fish and chip shop have already signed on the dotted line and a local hairdresser is poised to take a further unit.

The Maple Tree family public house restaurant operated by Marstons forms part of the scheme and opened earlier this summer.

Now just two 1,000 sq ft (93 sq m) units, suitable for A1 use, remain available.

Associate director at HDD, Jason Davis, explained: “Doncaster is steadily becoming a very important strategic location for business. Doncaster’s Frenchgate Centre is forecast to move the town from 53^rd to 23^rd in the rankings of most popular shopping destination in the UK and the Robin Hood International Airport to 30 flight movements a day, and is aiming to handle a million passengers in the coming year.

“The area is seeing a huge amount of inward investment in terms of the design and infrastructure of the town and strategically it is extremely important.”

Wednesday 24th September 2008

Development Securities announces £100m funding arrangement with Fiducia Group

Mixed use developer Henry Davidson Developments and industrial specialist Eden Park Developments, part of the Fiducia Group, have agreed a geared funding arrangement with Development Securities - which will provide the developers with access to more than £100 million over the next five years.

The revolving five-year funding arrangement will enable Henry Davidson and Eden Park to vastly increase their portfolio of neighbourhood centres, town centre developments, offices and warehouses and will provide Fiducia Group with a platform for continued growth and an extended profit stream for Development Securities.

The deal has already enabled Henry Davidson and Eden Park to make two purchases totalling just under £10 million – within hours of the agreement being signed.

One, for Eden Park developments, is a 20 acre mixed use scheme on a former British Aerospace and British Ordnance site at Buckshaw Village, Preston in Lancashire with a gross development value of around £50 million.

The other, for Henry Davidson Developments, is a 20,000 sq ft (1,860 sq m) neighbourhood scheme at Oxley Park in Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire.

Fiducia Group MD Scott Davidson said: “Our reputation within the industry, and Henry Davidson’s strong relationship with some of the country’s biggest house builders and with local councils has given Development Securities, a company with an excellent reputation and an impressive portfolio of clients, the confidence to invest in us for the next five years and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.

“Eden Park already has an established position as a developer of small scale industrial schemes and this investment will enable it to expand into two new areas – larger industrial developments and own front door office schemes”.

Development Securities director, Matthew Weiner added: "We are very pleased to be working with Henry Davidson and Eden Park Developments and are convinced the deal will benefit both companies significantly. Their pipeline of projects is impressive and we are pleased to have already contributed to the funding of two schemes.” test link

Tuesday 21st August 2007

Fiducia Group boosts senior management team

The Fiducia Group has boosted its senior management team with the appointment of a new full time finance director.

The Fiducia Group has boosted its senior management team with the appointment of a new full time finance director. The appointment will enable the group, which comprises mixed-use specialist Henry Davidson Developments and industrial and commercial developer Eden Park Developments, to expand. David takes over from Keith McEwan, who was carrying out the role on a consultancy basis. Keith will now provide a specialised focus for the residential elements included in many of HDD’s neighbourhood and town centre schemes. David Twomlow, 47, joins as FD from a niche property consultancy business and is former headquarters chief accountant at the former Bass plc. Keith has worked in the residential property industry since 1983, spending 14 years with David Wilson Homes, two with Wilcon Homes (now part of Taylor Woodrow) and since 1999 within his own residential development and consultancy business.

Thursday 5th July 2007