Anwyl Partnerships has appointed Sam Oliver as Land Director in a move that reflect the firms ambitious growth and expansion plans.

Former Senior Land Manager, Sam, joined the team three years ago during which time he has played an integral role in strengthening the firms land and development arm. He has been instrumental in identifying and securing a number of key sites and helping drive Anwyl Partnerships land led development approach.

Sam commented:

‘’Joining the business just over three years ago, I have seen Anwyl Partnerships grow threefold as we expand across the North West into Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and Merseyside, where we have acquired multiple sites to deliver on a mixed tenure basis for our key partners.

“Given that the last two years have been particularly challenging, we have continued to grow and have emerged from lockdown with a strong forward order book. This, I believe, is testament to both the existing and new relationships we have forged across our supply chain and resilience and strength as a business. We look forward to unveiling our new and upcoming projects in the coming months’’.

Tom Anwyl of Anwyl Partnerships added:

“Sam has proved to be an ideal leader for the Land operation. He has had a far reaching and positive impact on the business since joining only three years ago and his promotion to Director is one that recognises his significant achievements.”

The Land team, led by Sam, are responsible for identifying, acquiring sites for residential, affordable housing, and later living developments across the North West and North Wales.

Anwyl Partnerships, specialists in the provision of residential land and build developments, are utilising an offsite build approach at an extra care scheme in Wirral for Magenta Living.

Part of an £8.5million land and build agreement, the extra care development on Greenheys Road in Wallasey will include 53 apartments, helping fulfil a much needed gap in older persons living within this specific area.

The system utilises a kit approach comprising panels formed from lightweight metal framing components which are assembled on site prior to the concrete floor being cast in situ.

Simon Rose, Construction Director at Anwyl Partnerships explained:

“The key benefits in using this type of system when compared to traditional masonry construction are the timescales involved in achieving water tightness of the building. A typical three-storey apartment block of 50 units built traditionally would take in the region of 35 weeks to achieve roof on stage, compared to almost half that for this lightweight steel frame option.

“For us as a business, it’s important we continue to explore new and alterative construction methods and technology and it was an Anwyl decision on this project to pilot a new way of building to guarantee completion within the contracted timescales.”

Use of this system requires no additional training – the specialist subcontractor designs, fabricates and erects the panel system on top of the ground floor structural deck formed on site. Installation of the frame is now underway.

Simon continued:

“This is a first for us and as a business will be monitoring progress closely with the aim of utilising and replicating this approach across other Anwyl Partnerships sites.”

Justine Gore, Development Director at Magenta Living said:

“Anwyl has an innovative approach to delivering new homes. In particular the off-site assembly panelised framework trial at the Greenheys Road Extra Care project. We welcome this approach as Magenta Living is committed to providing at least 25% of its 1,000 new homes programme to modern methods of construction. We look forward to welcoming our customers into their new homes and providing a care service tailored to meet their needs.”

The scheme is due for completion and handover in March 2023.

Anwyl Partnerships has joined forces with Liverpool John Moores University to deliver a business improvement project that aims to deliver ‘more homes faster’. The UK is in the midst of a national housing shortage where Government forecasts require the supply of more than 250,000 homes per year to meet demand. Prior to Covid-19, the industry was delivering around 180,000 homes per year, and the government has since called upon the industry to respond to its national growth plan to ‘Build Back Better’.

In 2020, in consultation with Tim Whitehill of Project Five Consulting, Anwyl Partnerships were successful in securing a £120k research and innovation fund from BEIS, through Innovate UK, to be invested in a two-year long Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with LJMU. The project will focus on the improvement of operational processes and systems, leadership and management development, with the aim of increasing productivity by more than 20%.

Oliver Heald has joined the project as the KTP Associate in the role of Business Improvement Manager. His responsibility is to deliver the project objectives, working between the university knowledge base and Anwyl Partnerships operational teams, ensuring the implementation of new digital technologies and lean ways of working that deliver the productivity gains. The hope is to position the company at the forefront of housing delivery in North Wales and North West England.

Q&A with Oliver:

Can you tell us about what your studying at LJMU?

I am just about to complete my MBA in Innovation through York St John University. As part of the role, I am also required to complete the CMI Level 5 qualification in Management and Leadership, as well as spending 10% of my employment on personal development.

My main goals for development are based around ‘Digital Transformation’, and the development of my agile skills through the project management institute series of courses, ahead of my DBA.

How did you learn about the KTP?

At the beginning of my MBA studies, I was looking for roles where I could utilise my theoretical knowledge to help organisations and individuals develop. I had researched KTP schemes from various Universities which is where I found this opportunity.

Why did you feel that it would be something that would be good for you?

What was really important for me was to find a role where I could help people develop, but also find a role where I could develop personally too. I really enjoy meeting new people and learning from their experiences, and a big motivator for me is to help people reach their potential.

Can you describe your placement at Anwyl? Your role, research, actions, aims etc?

The key objective of the placement is to help develop a culture for sustained growth and resilience. As part of this, I will be looking at four levels across the Partnerships team; organisation, systems, process and people. Across these levels, we will be helping to implement a range of methodologies and practices such as ‘Lean’ process management, ‘Scrum’ project management, ‘Agile’ leadership and teams, and learning and development plans.

During the project, we will report on the success and learnings of these initiatives and work with employees of the organisation to continually improve processes, strategic initiatives and systems to help create an organisation that is ready for the future.

How long will your placement at Anwyl last?

The placement will last for two years. I will be based at the Anwyl office, but I am required to attend specific compulsory training set out by Innovate UK and attend meetings and training at LJMU. As part of the project, I am also required to attend courses and conferences relevant to my placement and personal development plan.

How does experience in a workplace as part of your course help you?

What is key to the success of this partnership is that we can use our theoretical knowledge to add value to Anwyl Partnerships. The benefit to myself is that I get to see how to implement that knowledge in real world situations and develop my understanding of methods and theories. Some of the knowledge that we can help Anwyl Partnerships develop from a management perspective may be quite new for the industry and untested. This experience will give me and LJMU the opportunity to test and learn from these specific theories, which will help add value to the organisation and also help others within the industry.

How does the KTP benefit the business?

Hopefully we can add value to the organisation by bringing in new expertise and help them to embed that knowledge within Anwyl Partnerships. This will be done through myself but also the access to staff at LJMU. As part of the scheme, we want to help improve efficiencies, develop employees, implement new systems and create a culture that drives innovation and is adaptable to change. Ultimately, we hope that this results in increased profitability for Anwyl Partnerships; an efficient, empowered and motivated workforce; and an organisation that has the right tools for sustained future growth.

What do you hope to achieve for the business as a result of your placement?

My main aspirations are to help motivate, develop and empower individuals and teams at Anwyl Partnerships to be collaborative, creative and innovative. I want to help cultivate an environment where everyone enjoys being part of the ‘Anwyl Way’. I also want to ensure that when the project does finish, I leave the organisation in a better place and ensure that the processes, systems and methods are firmly embedded within the organisation.

An outstanding £9m extra care scheme in Aberystwyth has been handed over by Anwyl Partnerships to housing provider, Wales & West Housing.

The stunning coastal development overlooks the Welsh shoreline and includes 56 one- and two-bedroom apartments.

The scheme offers a much needed additional housing option in Ceredigion, where residents can live independently in their own home with the reassurance of a 24 hour emergency response service on site.

“We’re incredibly pleased to be able to handover this fantastic scheme to Wales & West Housing.

“This is a large and impressive extra care facility built in an incredible setting. Planning has been key in order to work with and around site conditions, with extensive enablement works being required initially to prepare the site for the new development”.

Tom Anwyl, Managing Director at Anwyl Partnerships commented.

The scheme is now fully complete and handed over, ready to welcome new residents.

“The completion of Maes y Môr is a proud moment for us as it is our first extra care scheme in Ceredigion. We are pleased to have worked together with Anwyl Partnerships and Ceredigion County Council to deliver the scheme, which provides much-needed accommodation for extra care within the county.

“Residents will be able to enjoy modern facilities and excellent views over Aberystwyth, all with the peace of mind of knowing there is access to care and support on-site 24 hours a day.”

Gareth Thomas, Regional Development Manager for Wales & West Housing in West Wales, said.

Anwyl Partnerships, specialists in the provision of residential land and build developments, has exchanged contracts on a three acre site in a prime location off Cowley Hill Lane, St Helens.

Draft proposals have already been drawn up with plans to create up to 80 new homes under a mixed use profile, across a range of tenures.

Site enabling works commenced around three years ago in accordance with a previous planning consent. However, the previous scheme was later recognised as unviable meaning the site has since remained vacant.

“This site is a great acquisition and forms part of the continued expansion of the Partnership divisions’ activities across the North West.

“We have worked incredibly hard with the existing owners and planning officers to progress a sensitive design that seeks to maximise the site’s opportunities whilst regenerating a difficult brownfield site.

“In the coming weeks, we look forward to holding a public consultation and welcoming local residents to comment on our drafts proposals before the eventual planning application is submitted.”

Sam Oliver, Senior Land Manager at Anwyl Partnerships, commented.

Anwyl Partnerships has a rich history in employing apprentices across all areas of the business. Simon Rose, our Senior Construction Manager discusses the apprentice journey and explains why an apprenticeship is a great pathway to skilled and sustainable employment:

“As a large local employer, who continue to expand and grow across North Wales and the North West, it’s critical that we have the right people internally to help us to consistently deliver. Apprentices are a hugely important part of our business and by providing this level of in-depth training at the outset, we are guaranteed to have the skills in-house to help us achieve our own goals.

“We have long established links with all local colleges in North Wales, as well as universities. The relationship is very much two-way with colleges reaching out to us when they have a potential candidate who they feel would be a good fit for Anwyl, and us contacting them when we’re looking to fill a new apprentice role.

“We undertake a similar process to any new role applicant, beginning with an initial interview. Our apprentice roles range across disciplines, from specific trades to site managers and office staff, so we would consider each role individually.

“Some of our apprentices that initially come to us complete their training with one of our approved sub-contractors, particularly when they’re looking to follow a specific trade. We’ve secured a large amount of work in 2020, to be delivered in 2021 and beyond, and will need to recruit across the business, including several new apprentice positions.

“Our apprenticeship learning programmes are very much governed by the role – we do offer apprenticeship opportunities in almost all areas of the business, from trades to management. A trade, for example, will follow a very specific syllabus whilst a management role will involve a far more open and wide-ranging learning experience.

“For each of our apprenticeships, we consider what projects are live at any one time and how working on these different sites will benefit the apprentice so they understand all disciplines within their field. Learning qualifications can vary from basic NVQ to degree level. Whilst completing a course and gaining an accreditation is essential, the application and effort of the individual is equally important.

“We want our staff to develop in a way that suits their own ambitions and aspirations, as well as our own. We have a Site Manager, for example, who joined Anwyl at 16 and is now 32. The next step for him in his career journey is to become a Project Manager on one of our larger projects, and we will work with him to help him fulfil this goal. During his time with us, we’ve offered him almost every possible experience within a site environment to ensure his knowledge and skill set is broad and balanced.

“We carry out ongoing personal reviews with each of our apprentices, alongside onsite teams and college tutors, to ensure the individual is meeting their potential within both areas. It’s also important that we have an understanding of, and are aware of, any personal issues affecting them outside work and offer any necessary support.

“If the apprenticeship has been successful, we almost always will make an offer of long-term employment.”