Paul Ward

Hired by FEC with the following key areas of focus:

• To sit on senior leadership team driving business objectives and influencing strategy
• Lead the land & development team
• Resolve a number of systemic problems and implement good working practices to deliver future success
• Unlock an unviable, stalled flagship scheme (56 storey tower, 532 units)
• Growing pipeline with a focus on both on/off market oven ready (250+ units) consented schemes
needing optimisation; and significant sized mixed use regeneration schemes (1000+ units)
• Liaising with agents, undertaking feasibility, appraisal & technical due diligence ahead of bid
submission/acquisition.
• Identifying the right planning and placemaking strategy, appointing the most appropriate consultant team
and leading the planning process for these projects
• Leading negotiations on a 6000-unit joint venture opportunity in London
• Resolve ongoing issues with the delivery of a 65 storey scheme
• Build our ESG Strategy

In my short tenure I have made significant inroads to the above objectives including the successful acquisition
of a 2100-unit scheme in East London, putting in place a strategy to unlock & progress the stalled flagship
scheme and establishing internal protocols for development to improve business performance.

Queensberry are a development and regeneration specialist, historically focussed on retail led regeneration.
I was appointed as second in command to drive forward Queensberry’s pivot into BTR. I led all aspects of
the BTR businesses operations in the UK from origination through to completion. The business model was
to grow a team to work with investors in joint ventures, forward funding deals and direct developments to
deliver BTR units either as standalone schemes, or part of larger regeneration schemes across the UK. The
role included:

• Instating all processes and procedures to successfully support expansion into BTR development
• Building and leading a highly competent and dynamic team
• Having a thorough understand of market dynamics in our targeted areas
• Sourcing investable opportunities through fostering an extensive network of key players including agents,
consultants, landowners, investors. and the public sector, together with proactive site finding
• Creating and nurturing relationships with a wide range of investors to grow our investor pool
• Undertaking financial modelling and due diligence ahead of acquisition
• Driving projects through acquisition to completion and hand over to our investor partners
• Ensuring our partners returns are maximised through intelligent design interventions through the
development process
• Ensuring schemes are delivered on time and within budget
In my time at Queensberry, I delivered the following:
• Developed an extensive network of agents, local authority contacts and professionals in BTR hotspots
throughout the country to progress BTR opportunities
• Created an extensive database of build costs, rental returns, and market dynamics of BTR hotspots to
enable quick efficient initial viability
• Progressed relationships with a number of funding partners including institutional investors, family offices
and BTR operators to a position where we are appraising schemes together
• Created a bespoke viability appraisal developed in conjunction with the above investors to assess
opportunities
• Sourced several large regeneration schemes (1000+ homes and other supporting use classes) to deliver
in partnership with institutional investors together with numerous smaller opportunities (150+ homes)
throughout the country for our full range of investors

A member of the senior management team tasked with putting in place the process and procedures needed
to enable the business to upscale the development schemes they deliver. In this role I sourced land,
assembled sites and secured planning consent for two groundbreaking mixed-use schemes, Colosseum
Retail Park (1800 homes, 100, 000sqft retail/commercial) and Uplands Business Park (1800 homes, 80, 000sft
retail, 300, 000sqft stacked industrial).
Key achievements included:
• Successfully building and leading a high-quality development team
• Putting in place the project management framework and supporting processes/documents to successfully
acquire and deliver large mixed use, mixed tenure projects
• Upskilling the organisation in the design and delivery of BTR schemes
• Leading client relations with major investors such as BlackRock and Royal London, which led directly to
the acquisition of two new projects providing c2900 homes, a new school and new leisure centre
• Creating a new bespoke financial appraisal capable of dealing with large, complex, multi-phased. multi
tenure mixed-use schemes
• Developing an innovative co-located stacked industrial / residential scheme recognised by the GLA as
best practice
• Securing planning consent for over 3000 homes, including achieving an uplift of over 50% on the number
of homes expected on Colosseum Retail Park
• Putting in place an ESG strategy for the business

I led the team that managed Barratt London’s regeneration portfolio including estate regeneration. This
comprised schemes typically over 1000 homes in size, multi-phased, mixed use, complex and often within
joint ventures. As a director I provided strategic leadership to the team in the acquisition of, and delivery of
projects within the portfolio and reported back to the board on progress. This covered the following areas:
• Leading the appraisal & submission of all bids (off-market, mini-competition, OJEU, LDP2, TFL etc)
• Leading all legal/commercial negotiations (development agreements, joint ventures, CPOs etc)
• Identifying the most appropriate planning strategy and delivering planning consent for each scheme
• Creating and leading regeneration/placemaking strategies throughout the lifetime of the project
• Representing Barratt London on joint venture/project boards to deliver the schemes
• Ensuring the Project Directors delivered the projects on time and within budget
• Creating strong partnerships with key stakeholders
• Representing Barratt London in Government/Regional forums

Appointed to set up Westfields new residential arm. I put in place the structure and processes needed for the
successful delivery of their BTR portfolio across their London sites. The role included:

• Identifying and facilitating the creation of the most appropriate team structure for leading residential
development
• Creating a full project management framework for progressing schemes through the RIBA design stages
• Creating specifications, design guidance, financial appraisal templates
• Creating a branding strategy for the new BTR products
• leading the planning applications for Croydon (c1000 units) & Shepherds Bush (c1200 units)
• Managing the project directors to ensure the schemes were delivered successfully

Hired to lead the delivery of major regeneration schemes for Berkeley. My role encompassed all pre-planning
activities including sourcing opportunities, financial appraisal, detailed fully designed bids, undertaking all
technical due diligence, and securing planning. My achievements included leading the Preparation of a masterplan to RIBA Stage 2 for a new 3400-unit scheme that secured the project for the company’s development pipeline
Preparation and full appraisal of two other masterplans (c5000 units) for off market opportunities

Led the delivery of large-scale development schemes for an award-winning niche residential developer. My
role involved the coordination and management of development schemes from inception through to practical
completion. I advised on the sustainability of land deals, appraising potential deals including financial,
construction legal and planning issues. My achievements included :

 Leading the preparation, submission and consent for a masterplan and hybrid planning application for
Gallions Quarter in Newham (704 units)
 Negotiating a joint venture and legal agreements with an RSL and commercial partner for Chrisp Street
Market in Poplar (637 units, 284, 000sqft commercial space)
 Leading site assembly for the Chrisp Street Market scheme including the preparation of a C.P.O,
acquisition by private treaty

Following the dissolution of the Tees Valley Regeneration and redundancy, I formed my own consultancy
providing development consultancy advice to public & private sector clients on all aspects of the development
process for major regeneration / development projects. Bath and Northeast Somerset Council procured my
company to prepare the evidence base for their local plan, plan housing delivery and lead the disposal of all
their major residential sites including the successful disposal of 3 former M.O.D sites (c1800 units).

Promoted to Project Director I reported to the board and was responsible for the strategic direction and
delivery of the 250-acre mixed use Middlehaven regeneration scheme (6000 units, c400, 000sqft of other
uses). In this role I led on all project issues from pre-planning through to construction. This project was the
largest regeneration scheme in England at that time (exc. London) with a GDV more than one billion pounds.
The project was a joint venture between the public and private sectors. The role also required significant site
assembly capabilities and bidding for/delivering public sector grant to unlock and facilitate development
working alongside all stakeholders.

As Regeneration Project Manager, I was responsible for the delivery of estate regeneration schemes in the
Walker Riverside area of Newcastle. This included developing the evidence base for the Local Plan policies
covering the area, agreeing legals with joint venture partners, site assembly (including C.P.Os) and delivery
of c1000 residential units and a new district centre with Places for People & Bellway.

I led on a range of regeneration-based projects including the preparation of research, data and evidence
bases for Regional Spatial Strategies/Local Plans, the creation and delivery of masterplans, placemaking
strategies and housing market renewal plans for various clients, including local authorities, English
Partnerships, ONE North East and private sector companies.