Member Article

North West surveyor hopes to inspire region with new property investment startup

Qualified chartered surveyor Michelle Rothwell has taken an entrepreneurial leap to launch a new property development and investment company.

Watch this space has been set up to regenerate ‘unloved’ buildings and sites across the North West.

Experienced property professional Michelle, 29, is hoping to turn ‘tired buildings with bags of potential into landmarmarks’, to inspire both the regional landscape and dwellers alike.

The new business is based at 14 Kennedy Street in Manchester city centre.

Michelle, who has previously worked at CBRE and Capital & Centric, said: “I’ve worked in the property sector all my life so I have a good understanding of what occupiers want. Anyone can buy a building but the key is spotting the potential and unlocking the value.

“When I was at Capital & Centric I acquired several key sites for the business, including 200,000 sq ft Crusader Works next to Piccadilly Station. I also headed up a number of their key projects such as the iconic £25m Littlewoods Studios development and Tempest office scheme in Liverpool city centre.

“The North West is awash with fantastic opportunities and that is why I decided the time was right to launch my own business.”

Rothwell has already won the backing of former colleague John Ogden, managing director of CBRE, who said: “Michelle’s fresh and innovative outlook to the property market, always exploring new ways to add value, was key to the delivery of a number of new projects.”

Michelle added: “The core values of Watch This Space will be sustainability and the environment. The aim of the business is to build the future we all imagine living in. We’ve teamed up with world class architects and designers.

“We are now looking to invest in unloved buildings and sites and we want our legacy to be one of transforming them into iconic landmarks where people can be inspired.”