Paragon To Make Post-Merger Appearance At RESI Convention
On the heels of its £22M merger with Bond Davidson, Paragon Building Consultancy will sponsor this year’s RESI Convention, organised by Property Week, in Newport, Wales. Developers, owners and investors attend the convention to share best practices, connect with influencers in the private and public sectors and discover the latest market trends shaping housing in the country.
As one of the U.K.’s largest independent building and project management consultants, Paragon’s presence at RESI signals to residential developers that it can advise them throughout an asset’s life cycle, from acquisition and financing to construction and property disposal.
“We are sponsoring RESI to raise our profile and create a platform where we can share our goals and emphasize the quality and range of our services,” Paragon Director Matthew Dunn said.
Paragon was founded in 2009, whilst Bond Davidson was established 26 years ago. The companies pre-merger had respective turnovers of £14M and £8M. Both offered services across all commercial real estate property types, including the financing of residential development projects. Pre-merger, Paragon was more involved in acquisition and building surveys while Bond Davidson focused on the post-acquisition side, construction, quantity surveying, project management and delivery.
Combined, the consultancy firm now has an offering for residential developers that is a true cradle-to-grave process through acquisition, financing, construction and disposal.
“With the pedigree that we have across all service lines, we are able to offer high-quality, reliable services,” Dunn said. “In terms of fund monitoring, the new merged business is the biggest monitoring surveying practice in the country. We are monitoring £5B worth of development.”
Paragon’s attendance at the RESI Convention will also help the company stay on top of the latest trends in the U.K. residential market. Panels will cover topics including unlocking small land sites for residential development, the development and planning challenges behind the growing housing crisis and how residential owners can use retail to drive interest in residential projects.
The push for more amenitised living space is a new trend in the U.K., boosted by the expanding build-to-rent sector.
“There is a drive to produce more housing in the U.K.,” Dunn said. “That housing offering, we believe, is going to see some radical changes to attract the right people and the right purchasers.”
The push for more amenities comes as tenants choose to occupy space for longer periods of time. Rather than occupy a flat for a short period before moving to larger space or downsizing, people are choosing to live in spaces for longer, Dunn said. This has changed the way residential developers think about amenities. Industry leaders have become more aware that they must offer more than just an apartment. Amenities like concierge services, bicycle storage and other lifestyle offerings are now part of the package.
“Part of our attending this conference is to understand the market changes and get ahead of our competitors,” Dunn said. “We want to meet with the developers advancing these trends and show them what we can offer to help them meet their goals.”
This feature was produced in collaboration between Bisnow Branded Content and Paragon Building Consultancy. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.
