A new land and planning director has been appointed at Vistry Eastern.
Rob Hales, 43, has taken up the position with the Chelmsford-based operation, which is a region of Vistry Group, the parent company incorporating Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Vistry Partnerships.
Rob said: “Vistry has a reputation within the industry and also with the house-buying public for building high-quality homes in exceptional locations and I am very happy to have joined the operation at Chelmsford.
“My challenge is to work with the entire team at Vistry Eastern to help expand the business and deliver our growth plans.
“One of my first jobs is to assess the applications that we have currently in the planning system and see how we can progress those. I want to work with local authorities to see if we can solve any issues to ensure we secure approval and start building much-needed new homes in the region.
“I will also be aiming to ensure that the layouts we are submitting are designed to maximise value and to offer the right mix of housing at the right price for that particular location.”
Father-of-two Rob, who lives near Colchester, has joined Vistry Eastern with over 20 years experience in the land and planning sector. He started his career in the housebuilding industry after graduating with a degree in accounting from Anglia Ruskin University in 2001, following on from this he secured a position which saw him acquire and value land for two small family-run companies.
In 2008, Rob took the opportunity to take a year out from work and travel the world, which in turn offered him many new life experiences.
He said: “The year of travelling threw up all sorts of challenges which we had to overcome as we went along. That once-in-a-lifetime trip taught me lot about problem-solving and dealing with unforeseen situations. I genuinely feel that some of these encounters I had enabled me to turn them into benefits in my work life.
“I strongly believe that the key to success is communication and learning from experience, I will endeavour to reach out to everyone in the region to let them know how I will be working to help ensure we are in the best position to expand our portfolio. We are looking to start work on 130 new homes at a site in Elsenham, near Bishop’s Stortford, after securing planning approval and we have applied for permission to build 150 properties at Burwell, near Newmarket.
“These are just a couple of the exciting new projects which we are due to start in the near future and there are several other developments in the pipeline. Myself and my team are always on the look-out for new land opportunities which will allow us to build more much-needed homes and create new neighbourhoods across Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.”
Rob Church, managing director of Vistry Eastern, said: “This is an extremely important appointment for us as a region. Securing new sites and progressing them through the planning system is a crucial part of our growth strategy and we are delighted to welcome someone of Rob’s calibre to the team. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience having spent the previous 10 years in a senior land management role.
“Rob’s enthusiasm, high standards, attention to detail and leadership skills will make him an extremely valuable asset to the region as we seek to bring forward new sites and continue to grow the business.”
To find out more about career opportunities at Vistry Group, visit www.vistrygroup.co.uk/careers
