With a 450% increase in buyer enquiries for properties in Devon since the start of the pandemic, housing market activity in the South West is strong for Burrington Estates. Thanks to excellent sales, the Exeter based residential and commercial property business had a turnover of £70m in 2020. Building on this success in the South West, the company aims to triple its turnover over the next five years, as it embarks on ambitious plans to expand into other regions. It has twelve new developments launching in the next year and the vision to become a national company.
Founded in 2013, Burrington Estates has grown rapidly into a thriving business that has made its mark across the West Country. Its landmark developments include the flagship mixed-use scheme Winslade Park near Exeter, which incorporates the company’s corporate head office. It has completed over 500 new homes to date, with a portfolio worth £300m currently in development.
Burrington Estates’ aspirations for growth are supported by the positive outlook for the housing market, with huge demand for properties in Devon and Cornwall. There has been a surge in buyers moving to the South West over the past 18 months seeking a better quality of life, made possible by the rise in remote working. At Harbour Reach in Fowey, Burrington Estates sold 80% of the properties to buyers from outside of Cornwall and all were sold off-plan. In Devon, around half of Burrington Estates’ buyers are from out of county, compared to just 10% pre-pandemic.
Using this success in the South West as a springboard, Burrington Estates has already kickstarted its expansion plan by opening a new division, the Central region. It has a pipeline of new developments in Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, launching its first site in Binfield in September.
Mark Edworthy, Managing Director at Burrington Estates, said: “We were already in a strong position with good forward sales, but there is no doubt that the pandemic has prompted a step change in peoples’ lives and their aspirations, driving many more buyers to the South West. Technology has enabled people to work from anywhere so there is huge demand for high quality, well-designed homes not just in Devon and Cornwall, but across the regions as people continue to move out of the cities in search of more space and healthier lifestyle. Our success in the South West has given us a solid platform to expand into other counties where there is also a strong potential market for our homes.”
Burrington Estates has built its reputation on creating high quality homes and attractive, enduring communities with a strong sense of place. From medium to large scale developments, high-quality mixed-use schemes, luxury individual homes and careful renovations, Burrington Estates developments span a wide range of property types. It carefully tailors its designs to the needs of buyers to suit evolving lifestyles and make properties more functional, for example vegetable patches constructed with railway sleepers are often included as an option in gardens, as well as spaces to accommodate working from home. The Heaths, a new development near Portreath, offers a range of bungalows designed with older people in mind for those with more limited mobility.
As a people led business, Burrington Estates prioritises the highest standards of customer service and attributes its success to its growing team. Reflecting the growth of the company, it has made many key hires recently, increasing its staff by 45% in the past year to a total of 85 employees.
