Peter Cavendish - First 30 Days in Office

After recently retiring from a rewarding career in the Armed Forces, I wanted to take a moment to mark and share my insight into the first 30 days as a Development Manager with Cassidy Group.

The first day entailed formalities of the role from establishing a LinkedIn page for networking, to monitoring sector developments through sources like PBSA and BTR News; all straightforward enough however deciphering the acronyms and shorthand within Cassidy Group after more than thirty years entrenched in the business was akin to learning a new dialect.

The ethos is to innovatively create future-proof green-conscious buildings which address geographic housing shortages and provide for the various needs of inhabitants. I perceive my role as Development Manager breaks down into four stages.

1. Stage one is in-depth market analysis to understand demographics, trends and demand, before deciding on the location with the best combination of requirement and yield; for example Cassidy Group schemes are strategically positioned in ‘second cities’ as opposed to London because there is massive housing demand but lower land purchase price and lower construction cost, so the yields are higher.
2. Stage two is identifying and conducting the purchase of the appropriate land.
3. Stage three is building design and planning permission which requires both engaging with local authority and stakeholders to ensure community support and acceptance of the planning, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams of industry experts to design a building using UK materials, which meets the highest safety standards, maximises energy efficiency through green innovation such as air source heat pumps and solar panels, and contains the latest services and amenities within, aimed at enhancing inhabitants’ quality of life.
4. Stage four is identifying a buyer for the scheme and arranging financial structuring tailored to their preferences, the future owner will choose to invest through a variety of structures ranging from forward-fund paying the cost month by month during construction, to forward-commit paying a deposit at the start then lump sum upon completion. Cassidy Group usually exit upon completion or occasionally once the asset is operating and stabilised, however each build as well as exit is bespoke to that scheme and buyer.

I have observed that the most important aspect of each of these stages is strong relationships, through regular and open communication which fosters trust, the subsequent reputation of reliability also cultivates repeat and new business. The most important quality to bring to the role of Development Manager is passion to achieve the highest standards and develop green-conscious aesthetically pleasing buildings that add value to the local area.

With exciting times ahead, including MIPIM which will be a great opportunity for me to connect with other industry professionals and hopefully sell some of our current ￡500m pipeline of 3000 PBSA and 1000 PRS beds for 2026. I am keen to build my network of construction industry and investment professional so welcome contact by LinkedIn or email: [email protected]