Richborough’s South East team has moved into larger space in London, as its workload increases due to growing demand for high quality residential development land.
The team – led by Senior Regional Director Nick Banks and comprising Senior Land & Planning Manager Rhys Tupper, Planning Manager Owen Weaver and Assistant Land & Planning Manager Oliver Wilkins – has expanded at x+why Fivefields at 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens.
A record period of activity, shaped by the NPPF reforms and shifting local policies, has seen the team build its pipeline to 40 projects across London and the South East. Nearly 50% of these are within the London Metropolitan Green Belt, with a significant proportion expected to fall into potential “Grey Belt” classification.
For the first time in its 20-year history, Richborough is now actively progressing projects within the Greater London Authority (GLA) boundary. This reflects a changing landscape: London’s traditional reliance on high-density, high-rise apartment schemes has been disrupted by new regulations, with many developments delayed under the Building Safety Act and viability pressures mounting.
So far in 2025, Richborough has secured 14 new projects within the GLA and surrounding areas, capable of delivering more than 6000 plots. Our in-house technical and design teams are central to unlocking these land promotion opportunities, ensuring the right balance of density, quality and deliverability in higher-value locations.
Nick Banks said: “Our expansion reflects the scale of opportunity we see in the GLA and immediate surrounding areas, particularly as planning policy evolves around Green Belt and Grey Belt land. London’s housing needs are increasingly shifting towards sustainable, well-designed family housing on the city’s edges.
“With our growing team and in-house expertise, we are uniquely positioned to identify deliverable sites and to help SME builders, as well as larger developers, bring forward much-needed homes.”
The extra office facilities will also be used by the wider Richborough team including Group Land Director Alex Sciarretta – and Richborough Commercial – led by Nick Jones – as their workload increases in the south.
• Within the GLA, Richborough is preparing planning applications for schemes in Bromley (120 homes), Havering (570 homes) and Hillingdon (450 homes) all of which are expected to be classified as Grey Belt, underlining the role these areas will play in delivering family and mixed-tenure housing at scale.
• Within London’s inner commuter belt, Richborough submitted a planning application in December 2024 for 600 homes on a 99-acre site in Croxley Green near Rickmansworth. The plans include 50% affordable housing, self-build plots, land for a new primary school and delivery of a medical centre and community centre. A design code supports the application to secure long-term quality, with the development expected to deliver 43 homes per net hectare.
Contact Nick Banks in our South East land promotion team today: nick.banks@richborough.co.uk
In the photo, l-r Paul Campbell, Rhys Tupper, Nick Banks, Owen Weaver, Alex Sciarretta