The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) — the Government’s non-departmental regeneration and housing fund provider — has hired a Northamptonshire firm of chartered surveyors to manage its agricultural holdings.
Kettering-based property and business specialist Berrys has been awarded the four-year contract and will handle the day-to-day management of the agency’s entire English portfolio.
“We are extremely delighted to win the tender for the HCA national rural management contract,” commented Paul Pridmore, a partner at Berrys’ Kettering office who will be managing the brief. The company has five offices in Northants, Cheshire and Shropshire.
“One of the main roles of the HCA is to increase the supply of public land for development to build more homes and create employment opportunities and it this that attracted us because we have wide-ranging skills in areas such as renewable energy and planning as well as property management.
“We offer a proactive and innovative management service that will help protect the portfolio of land ready for regeneration,” he added.
The HCA’s land and property portfolio extends from Cornwall to Tyne and Wear — where it has its national headquarters — and Berrys will be responsible for managing its land stock, maintaining relationships with tenants and licensees, and ensuring that the estate is commercially managed until required for future development.
Basically a land owner charged with funding and facilitating the building of new homes, the HCA also enters into partnerships to create business and employment opportunities. Its Kickstart programme provided grants to developers in order to rescue stalled projects during the recession.
