Hertfordshire-based developer Griggs Homes is on course for a major expansion – and to spearhead growth and seek out fresh development opportunities it has appointed two new Land Directors, Matt Green and Ollie Myrants-Wilson.
Griggs Homes is a third-generation family business, based in Borehamwood, which is currently best known for its small, boutique developments and bespoke homes in the surrounding area. Griggs already has an exciting pipeline of land, controlling a number of large scale strategic residential and commercial sites either in planning or with the benefit of planning permission. The appointment of Green, 33, as Land Director, and Myrants-Wilson, also 33, as Land and Planning Director, marks a commitment to crystalising their existing assets and gearing up in scale, as they will concentrate on bringing forward new land to facilitate development across all sectors.
Matt Green explained: “Griggs is a very strong company locally, with an unrivalled reputation within Hertsmere and the surrounding areas for delivering complex planning permissions and premium homes. We have the opportunity to take the group from being strong locally to expanding both in terms of the geographical area and the size of projects.” Previously a Chartered Surveyor at Lambert Smith Hampton, Green is determined to steer the company towards growth and to be seen as more than just a premium housebuilder : “Griggs is not only known for the quality of its product but also its drive and creativity. We want to take these qualities and apply them to larger projects including urban sites and investment properties with long term redevelopment potential for a variety of end uses.”
Ollie Myrants-Wilson spent the last three years as Land Director on the Board at Troy Homes, and nearly 12 years at Housebuilder Linden Homes, so he has the experience to lead the company into larger-scale projects – but, he said, Griggs intends to do things differently from most mid-sized developers.
“Griggs is a growing business and very entrepreneurial, so we are looking at taking more planning risk, and buying and promoting sites without planning permission,” he explained. “It’s a challenge – but with greater risk comes greater reward. There is an opportunity in the land market to go about things differently and we want to be a trusted and dynamic partner for landowners, other developers, local authorities and key stakeholders. We have an expert team with an established track record in delivery and we want to bring a positive and refreshing approach to development.”
Griggs’ new Land Directors intend to use their combined expertise to engage with a wide range of landowners with development sites that could be unlocked. One of their strengths will be their ability to make quick, informed decisions and provide certainty to all stakeholders. “We have a short chain of command here and decisions can be made extremely quickly” stressed Myrants-Wilson. “We are an ambitious company, we have a brand-new purpose-built office where landowners, agents and partners can visit, and they can see first-hand the quality of the finished product on our sites. Griggs has the appetite, drive and ambition to grow, whereas other companies this size are more risk averse.”
Green added: “Griggs’ strength is in our creativity and our skillset will add to that. Our strategy is straightforward – we want to buy sites where we can add value through planning for residential, commercial or mixed use development. We are a company that can act swiftly and between Ollie and myself we have built up a significant and varied number of contacts and relationships across the industry which we will be putting to good use in the months ahead.”
Green and Myrants-Wilson are already hard at work with the company’s expansion plans and are ready to meet with interested agents and landowners to discuss any sites that might be suitable for the next premium development of Griggs Homes.
For more information visit www.griggshomes.co.uk.
Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
