McCarthy Stone boosts land team in £200m acquisition drive

McCarthy Stone has announced three new appointments to its land team as it seeks to buy at least 65 development sites this year.

The retirement housing giant has recruited James Hanna to a new position of land director in its special projects team.

Hanna, who previously worked in land teams for supermarkets Lidl and Aldi, will be responsible for leading land acquiring activities.

McCarthy Stone is aiming to invest £200m in new sites this year. Buying 65 sites would be an increase on the group’s previous rate of activity having bought 200 over the previous four years.

The business has also recruited Phil Isherwood as land director for the midlands. Isherwood has worked as property director at Aldi and in the land acquisition team at McDonalds.

Gareth Owen re-joins the business as land director for the north, having previously worked for McCarthy Stone as land director. He also worked for Keepmoat for two years as land and partnerships director and served 14 years as land and planning director at Taylor Wimpey.

John Tonkiss, chief executive, said: ““I’m delighted to welcome Phil, Gareth and James to the business. With our existing land team around the UK, they will help us buy more sites for high-quality and well-located retirement communities.

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“Their extensive experience in buying town centre, brownfield land is exactly what we need as we seek to bring life back to local high streets through our developments and help older people remain independent, safe and well-connected in their own home. We need new land, and lots of it, in order to satisfy growing demand for this important form of housing.”

McCarthy Stone is looking for brownfield sites close to town centres and typically between 0.5 and 5 acres in size.

The firm earlier this month pledged that half of its future development would be built using modern methods of construction from 2024. It said that 40 new sites will be built through a partnership with Leeds-based light gauge steel framing company Sigmat.