Experience

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  Morrison homes ltd - part of morrison group plc

  Aug 1996 - Aug 1998

  Regional manager

  Whilst working within Morrison Group Plc I set up Morrison Homes Ltd's first Northern Ireland office and went on to expand their residential operations across Ireland as a whole.

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  Lagan developments ltd

  Aug 1998 - Mar 2004

  Commercial director

  During my time with the Lagan Group I worked with the Chairman of the group to set up a new property company called Lagan Developments Ltd . Whilst in this position I oversaw a number of residential, mixed use and retail developments as well as a number of strategic land trades.

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  Various

  May 2004 - Aug 2011

  Self employed property consultant

  My activities within my privately held companies included identifying underutilised land parcels, forming new limited companies with different partners for different sites, negotiating the site purchases (mostly off market) securing planning permission for residential and commercial developments and coordinating the sale of the recently upgraded land asset to residential and commercial developers. Within my role as Property Consultant I acted in an advisory capacity for a cross section of local private companies, most of which were not property specialists but had acquired valuable property assets by the nature of their business growth over the years. I advised on development decisions relating to the management, disposal and ultimate maximisation of their property assets. Show less

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  The strategic investment board ltd

  Aug 2011 - now

  Strategic adviser - urban regeneration & property development

  As SIB's adviser on Urban Regeneration & Property Development, I bring over 20 years experience at Director level across both private and public sector. As a Chartered Surveyor & Member of the RICS, I have operated across the property spectrum from Commercial Director of a private sector Property Development company to my current position of adviser to cross Government clients. My current clients are involved in urban regeneration with a particular focus on engaging with the private sector in relation to development opportunity sites and inward investment into their City. In addition I am assisting them in developing their Central Riverfront Regeneration Programme.I am also part of SIBs team of advisers who are supporting clients with their City Deal Programmes. Show less

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  Strategic investment board limited

  Aug 2011 - Aug 2016

  The creation of 5 Urban Villages was a key strategic action resulting from the publication of the NI Executive’s Together: Building a United Community Strategy, which was launched in May 2013 (T:BUC). That Strategy was an executive priority and contained 7 headline actions which compositely set out the Executive’s vision of a united, shared and reconciled community. Specifically, the Strategy outlined a vision of “a community where division does not restrict the life opportunities of individuals and where all areas are open and accessible to everyone”.The Urban Villages model took a holistic approach to development within its designated areas using the three pillars of: - Regeneration; - Community development; and - Good relations The programme’s vision was to work with local residents in deprived and fragmented areas to address their needs, improve their outcomes and regenerate their communities through the use of ‘organic’ co-design. The three pillar approach was designed to ensure that each urban village had a community focus, which incorporated designs that were founded on the principles of creating shared community space, improving the area and its aesthetics whilst embedding a sense of community ownership, responsibility & aspiration and improving its economic life. The areas targeted by the initiative had multiple & complex needs. UV areas typically suffered as a result of division and dereliction which over the years limited the potential of these communities and the people who live within them.The UV programme aimed to address this and to work with local people and other stakeholders to evolve these areas into ‘Thriving Places’ which are warm and welcoming with confident, active and connected communities. Show less I was employed by SIB as Development Director for the new town centre of the Colin area in West Belfast until August 2014, at which stage my role was extend as above. The strategic objective of this project was to oversee the development of a civic and commercial town centre mixed use development inc.landscaped public realm fronting onto the Stewartstown Road, Belfast which will serve the area’s population which is in excess of 25,000 people. The project aims to address the historic under provision of services in the area as well as creating a commercial and civic centre and physical heart or core. I was responsible for coordination of the delivery of the outline planning approval for this coherent town centre. Most significantly I was responsible for ensuring that the contents of the outline approval fully reflect the needs and realistic aspirations of the local community. I oversaw the work of building relationships with stakeholders across the public, private, voluntary and community sectors in relation to this project.I was responsible for all aspects of the development and implementation of the Colin Town Centre plan, such as stakeholder engagement, marketing, land assembly, business case development and communications on behalf of the Department for Social Development, the Strategic Investment Board and in partnership with the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership. Show less

  • Urban Villages Programme Director

    Aug 2014 - Aug 2016

  • Strategic Adviser & Project Development Director

    Aug 2011 - Aug 2014