Member Article

Banbury property firm's key appointment to support rising demand for homes

A leading property firm in Banbury has bolstered the development arm of its agency division to meet the rising demand for houses.

Sophie Greco - who specialises in providing development advice to landowners, land promoters, housebuilders and infrastructure providers - has joined Fisher German as a Senior Associate.

She is based at the firm’s Banbury office but will be supporting development projects across central and south-eastern England, and will be assisted by Theo Shepherd-Smith.

Sophie is part of Fisher German’s in-demand development agency team, which over the past year has supported the delivery of £150 million worth of residential, mixed-use and employment development sites.

The national development agency team manages the identification, promotion, sale and purchase of property and land for development – as well as advising on planning applications.

Key responsibilities for Sophie will include using her cross-county market knowledge to identify potential development sites, negotiate deals and advise on legal agreements; as well as developing the firm’s presence across the region.

Sophie, who is a chartered surveyor, arrives at Fisher German for a third time having previously joined the firm in 2011 as a student whilst studying for a degree in Rural Enterprise and Land Management, and then in 2013 as a Graduate Surveyor.

She said: “Demand for a variety of developments looks set to continue to rise in 2023 across the UK, so I’m re-joining Fisher German at a really exciting time where I can use all of my development experience and contacts to help the firm to deliver on some key projects across the south Midlands region.

“I’m expecting to see particular growth in residential developments as various authorities continue to strive to meet their housing supply targets, alongside ongoing growth of commercial developments.

“This will not be without its challenges in the current political backdrop but the underlying current of pent-up demand far exceeding supply continues.

“As such, I would urge any landowners looking to explore maximising the commercial potential of their land to get in touch with me.”

Ben Marshalsay, Head of Development at Fisher German, outlined the importance of Sophie’s arrival.

He said: “Having Sophie and Theo based at our Banbury office now enables us to focus on areas including Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Thame and Warwickshire.

“In the past 12 months, we have been involved in the delivery of residential, mixed-use and employment development sites across the UK with a combined value of over £150 million.

“Our team is actively promoting over 1000 acres of employment land and over 1,500,000 sq ft of retail space. As demand continues to grow, we will continue to focus on specific geographical areas offering expert advice on the promotion of development land.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .