McCarthy & Stone, the UK’s leading retirement housebuilder, has announced the appointment of Brendon O’Neill as its new Managing Director for the Group’s South East region.
Based in Woking, Brendon has taken overall responsibility for leading the regional business, which covers South London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and parts of Hampshire and Berkshire. Key responsibilities include implementing the South East’s share of the Group’s £2.5 billion investment programme in land and build over the four year period to 2019, as well as planning, design and sales. The investment programme is the largest ever of its kind in the UK retirement housing sector.
McCarthy & Stone’s South East region currently has a portfolio of 20 developments selling or under construction. Seven new developments are set to be released in 2017 and the region is preparing to commence construction in several of the most exclusive locations in the South East, including Henley, Virginia Water and Royal Tunbridge Wells, delivering a total of 333 new apartments to help meet increasing demands of an ageing population. Each individual development will be carefully designed to suit the requirements of older people, offering homeowners the very best in independent living within a safe and secure environment.
Brendon brings a wealth of experience to the role to help deliver these exciting growth plans. He was formerly Managing Director for Bovis Homes’s Southern business and held similar roles at Linden Homes and Barratt Developments, having spent his whole career in the housebuilding industry. He also has extensive experience of acquiring high quality land opportunities in Greater London and across the wider South East.
Clive Fenton, McCarthy & Stone’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Brendon to McCarthy & Stone; he is one of the industry’s most experienced housebuilders. Brendon will help us deliver our strategic objective of doubling in size by 2019 to meet the unprecedented demand for retirement housing while continuing to deliver Five Star standards of customer service.
“He will also be bringing to market our exciting pipeline of developments across many of the region’s most desirable locations, including Tunbridge Wells, Virginia Water and Maidenhead, as well as managing all of the region’s existing selling outlets. We look forward to welcoming him to the Group.”
Brendon O’Neill added:
“This is an incredibly exciting time to be joining McCarthy & Stone. The UK has a rapidly ageing population, with the number of people aged 65 or over set to increase by 50% over the next two decades. There is an urgent need to provide high quality housing that meets the needs of older people and I look forward to helping to play a role in meeting this critical housing need.”
McCarthy and Stone’s Retirement Living developments offer the independence of retaining home ownership while living in an apartment specifically designed for the over-60s – a proposition which gives homeowners the opportunity to benefit from companionship when desired, as well as privacy when needed. Developments feature a homeowners’ lounge, landscaped gardens, and a guest suite to accommodate visiting friends and family. A House Manager is on hand to take care of the smooth running of the development and provide support to homeowners as required.
McCarthy and Stone’s Assisted Living developments offer all this but are aimed at the over-70s, to bridge the gap between conventional Retirement Living and residential care. With the emphasis still on enjoying an independent retirement, homeowners have the added peace-of-mind of a range of additional 24/7 security and flexible care and support services, which make life that little bit easier.
Anyone interested in finding out more about Retirement Living or Assisted Living in the South East is invited to call 0800 201 4743 or visit www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk.