Morgan, Heath & Aubrey-Fletcher Launch Strategic Land Business

FARMERS and other landowners have a new opportunity to cut through red tape and sell land with development potential early in the planning process.

Carden Group is privately owned and managed by Steve Morgan CBE, founder and former chairman of Redrow; Will Heath, former Group development director at Redrow; and Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, landowner and former director at Taylor Wimpey.

They have worked together for over 15 years through various business associations and collaborations.

Collectively and individually, they have delivered a long list of successful projects.

The new company is run from offices in Cheshire and Buckinghamshire and operates UK-wide. Carden Group’s industry leading expertise and funding structure allows farmers and other landowners to sell land with development potential earlier in the planning process.

“Developing land in the UK has become increasingly challenging, with significant levels of red-tape, protracted lead-in times and substantial levels of capital required to secure planning permission. With our industry-leading experience, flexible business model and substantial cash reserves we can take a flexible approach that reflects landowners’ circumstances, making decisions quickly without the need for external funding,” said Will Heath, CEO.

“Our focus is on buying freehold land with future development potential for larger residential-led projects requiring substantial capital investment and expertise, whether it be draft or allocated sites, or land with longer term prospects. The goal is to deliver high quality placemaking and thriving new communities. Once planning permission is achieved, the land will then be sold to local, regional or national housebuilders who share the same values.”

Carden Group has already acquired its first site – a 220 acre parcel of agricultural land near Exeter. Planning has now been submitted at Treasbeare Garden Village, with the plans to deliver 1,000 new homes, a neighbourhood centre, primary school, public open space including play areas, allotments, sports pitches and a pavilion.

The company is also close to acquiring two further sites, which between them would deliver 1,100 homes.

About the founders;

Will Heath, who grew up on a family-run mixed farm in Shropshire, is a chartered surveyor by background. As CEO of Carden Group, he assumes day to day  responsibility of the business. He is also CEO of the Bridgemere Group and chairman of Castle Green Homes, a privately owned north-west based housebuilder currently building 300 homes per year. Will assumes day to day responsibility of Carden Group. Will previously spent 12 years at Redrow where he held a number of senior positions including Group Development Director and Chairman of Harrow Estates– Redrow’s strategic land business.

Steve Morgan is well known and highly respected within the property industry, having founded Redrow, now one of the UK’s leading housebuilders, in 1974. In 2019 he retired from the business after handing over Redrow’s 100,000th home and having guided the business to record levels of trading and profitability. Steve is also chairman of the Bridgemere Group of companies, which has interests in aviation, healthcare, UK and overseas property, homebuilding and hotels. In 2001 he set up the Steve Morgan Foundation to support projects that improve the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. In recent years Steve has given over £300m to the Foundation, making it one of the largest charitable trusts in the UK.

Harry Aubrey-Fletcher previously worked at Taylor Wimpey as strategic land director overseeing major strategic development projects across the UK. Prior to that he spent six years at J.P.Morgan advising housebuilders and construction companies. Alongside his role at Carden Group, Harry is a director of a family farming business with operations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, West Sussex and Berkshire.