Category: Parklane Group

The Parklane Group, has welcomed Campbell Carruth as its new Head of Developments to aid ambitious growth plans.

Bringing more than two decades of experience to the role, Campbell has a background in senior management including being head of property for the Humber area for Associated British Ports and a director at both Harworth Group PLC and Clugston Estates. Recognised in the industry as a change leader, he was part of the executive team that turned around the UK Coal mining land and income portfolio leading to a successful IPO and the creation of Harworth Group PLC.

In his new role, Campbell will take control of the development and property pipeline for The Parklane Group and manage the land and property aspects of the Company’s growth strategy. The Group has a substantial property portfolio in the UK with brands ranging from Roomzzz boutique aparthotels to luxury student accommodation provider, IconInc, leading estate and letting agent, Parklane Properties, and Leeds Golf Centre.

Commenting on the appointment, managing director of the Parklane Group, Naveen Ahmed, said: “Campbell is a fantastic addition to the Parklane senior management team, and we look forward to working with him. He brings years of experience in the industry and an infectious enthusiasm, which he will be using to help create an effective platform from which to meet our ambitious growth aspirations.”

Campbell’s role will include taking the IconInc brand and offering forward, expanding its footprint across the UK with the aim of establishing a presence in all of the ‘red brick university’ cities across the country. Current IconInc developments are known as the most covetable spaces in the cities they’re in and with plans to expand across the UK, the IconInc developments are changing the shape of student living for the foreseeable future.

Campbell added: “I’m very much looking forward to working at The Parklane Group, which is a dynamic and entrepreneurial business with bags of character and ambition and passionate, forward thing people. My vision is to drive the expansion across its established hospitality brands, throughout the UK and beyond, whilst ensuring the business adapts to the increased level of activity and encouraging a productive ethos. It’s an exciting time to be joining the company and I plan to utilise my existing networks and longstanding relationships in the commercial property market to identify purchase opportunities for the Group. I’ve already identified a number of target cities for the IconInc brand and I look forward to overseeing the planned expansion of Leeds Golf Centre and increasing the footprint of the Roomzzz brand, which has its first opening planned outside of the North of England in London Stratford in early 2018.”

This year’s annual golf day was all about togetherness, fun and fundraising. On 5th September 2018, we were joined by 110 of our favourite people from local businesses and charities across Leeds, at Leeds Golf Centre.

A very special guest from The Prince’s Trust

Last year we announced our partnership with The Prince’s Trust at the annual golf day. This year, as we continue to support the charity, we were lucky enough to welcome one of the trust’s young ambassadors, Quej. The Prince’s Trust transform the lives of young people who have had a hard start in life and Quej’s story is no exception.

Young Ambassador, Quej’s story

Originally from Congo, Quej’s family escaped the Civil War when he was seven and fled to Rwanda but life as refugees wasn’t easy. The family had to adapt to a new culture and language. They were living on the streets and unable to afford an education.

Seven years ago, Quej’s family came to Britain. Again, more barriers to overcome – Quej jokes that the cold weather was one. Another new language to learn, another place to try and integrate. Here’s where Quej’s passion for sport came in handy. He joined a youth club, started going for a kick about and then discovered The Prince’s Trust and their football programme.

Fast forward and Quej is now a youth worker and coach at the Tigers Trust in Hull. He says it’s all thanks to The Prince’s Trust and he’s repaying them by volunteering as a young ambassador. Quej is an inspiration and leaves us all thinking as he exclaims, ‘Football isn’t just a sport; it’s a language’. He’s summarised, pretty neatly, the way we feel about sport at Leeds Golf Centre too.

We’ve got a suspicion that Quej’s footballing background might have given him an advantage in the Footgolf! Which brings us on to the itinerary for the day…

It was a day of sportsmanship

First up we challenged guests that hadn’t played golf before to a game of Footgolf – which definitely kept some people on their toes! If you haven’t come across it before, Footgolf is like golf but with a football instead of a club. Well done to Lee, from Arcadis, for winning!

 

For the golfers amongst us, the day got off to a start with a golf clinic led by our Leeds Golf Centre pros. Sessions with Chris concentrated on the fundamentals of full swings. And Joe’s sessions focussed on the common problems with bunker, chip and run, and pitch shots, with Joe sharing his top tips for overcoming these issues.

After lunch it was out to the course for a highly anticipated round of golf and it looked like the morning’s practice paid off. Adam Simms’ team were the winners with a score of 96 – congrats guys! Ed Connell took the individual prize with a score of 41 (an impressive 6 shots under his handicap). There were some nearest pin competitions too with Chris Jones winning the 7th hole and Gary Broadley the 13th.

The charity auction

Before everyone tucked into their evening meal, a guest from Leeds based St George’s Crypt gave a speech about their incredible work with the homeless. It’s an exciting time for the charity as they continue to expand their services. In fact, they had just put an offer in on a house the previous day, which will hopefully become more supported accommodation for those in need. We donated the uneaten food from the day to help feed their current clients.

Then it was on to the charity auction. A whopping £9,810 was raised for St George’s Crypt and The Prince’s Trust. We were so grateful for the donated prizes, which included stays at Roomzzz Aparthotels in London and Manchester, some of the finest match day experiences in Leeds at Elland Road and Emerald Headingley, and a Microsoft Surface Pro which caused quite a stir (Paul from Broadley you know what we mean!). Many thanks to all of our generous bidders and donors.

We hope you’ll think about supporting The Prince’s Trust and St George’s Crypt again in the future, and we look forward to seeing you all next year!

Naveen Ahmed, Parklane Group’s Managing Director, has been recognised at the annual Institute of Directors (IoD) Director of the Year Yorkshire and North-East awards, held at The Principal Hotel in York on 5 July. Naveen was announced as Family Business Director of the Year, with judges distinguishing Naveen’s leadership of the business and his commitment to keeping family values at the heart of everything The Parklane Group does.

The culture of The Parklane Group has been built on strong shared family values and a passion for its industry, with the cornerstones of the family unit – trust, respect and communication – informing Naveen’s relationship with his team. The Group takes pride in recognising the unique skill sets and experience of individual staff members, giving them the opportunities to take on responsibility and progress their career as desired.

With over 30 years’ experience, Naveen is an expert in property development and is leading the group’s expansion across the UK, Europe and beyond. In addition to his professional strengths, Naveen is passionate about ensuring that Parklane Group’s successes benefit the less fortunate. This passion led to the creation of The Parklane Foundation, a charitable body with a straightforward aim – to provide people with a means to improve their lives in some way. The foundation is now a patron of The Prince’s Trust, helping to support young people have a better start in their lives.

The IoD Director of the Year awards celebrate the best in business and aim to raise awareness among IoD members, the wider business community and public of the significant contribution business leaders can make to society and to economic prosperity in the region.

Naveen commented on his award shortly after the ceremony, saying: “It’s a great honour to win this award and be recognised by such a renowned association as the IoD. I am very privileged to be working with three generations of my family – my father, brothers and now my sons, who are crucial in the growth and continued success of The Parklane Group. I believe the success of The Parklane Group lies in our ability to grow and adapt. We have a family model, but we recognise that bringing new talent into the team allows us to maintain a fresh perspective and grow as an organisation. With plans for a landmark new development in Leeds, a new co-working brand and a communal living concept in the mould, I believe the future is bright for The Parklane Group.”

The Parklane Group has unveiled a new addition to its suite of brands, which will set out to transform a historical building in Manchester’s NOMA district as its first development. The Homezzz brand is focussed towards investors, who are looking to realise potential in the UK rental market at gateway city locations in the UK. The first scheme to be revealed will see the former Co-operative print works in Manchester transformed into more than sixty luxurious rental units, helping to reveal the former grandeur of this historic location.

The multi-million pound project, named The Press, which is located on New Mount Street in the NOMA district, will deliver 66 residential units of between one and three beds. It draws heavily on ‘New York Apartment’ stylings, and many of the building’s original features such as exposed brick and ironwork, high ceilings and large windows, will be brought to the fore as part of the redevelopment. The c50,000sq ft site will be delivered as part of a new Joint Venture between Homezzz and Salboy Ltd, with work due to commence on site early in the New Year.

Naveen Ahmed, Director of The Parklane Group, co-owner of the Homezzz brand, said: “Our new Homezzz brand will help address the developing trends in UK housing, and bring a new dynamic to the UK’s gateway cities. Our plans for The Press have demonstrated this ambition and have so far received fantastic feedback. Through our investment, we will create a superb building, which will draw on the heritage of the site as a former print works, whilst creating a modern and vibrant living space, to service this part of the city. Manchester continues to perform exceptionally well, and this building is just a stone’s throw from major transport hubs, internationally renowned employers and vibrant culture.”

 

 

Javed Saddique Director at Homezzz said: “Our team has developed detailed plans to transform this six-story building into a modern and stylish space, which will help to address the housing needs of a growing and successful city. We’ve worked alongside leading architects to develop what we believe will be a fantastic addition to the Manchester property scene and we look forward to progressing with construction works early in 2019. Units are already generating a lot of interest, and we’re confident this will prove to be a highly desirable location.”

Fred Done, founder of Betfred and co-owner of Salboy Ltd, paid tribute to the Joint Venture: “I am extremely proud to be involved in this fantastic project. Being a local person, nothing pleases me more than seeing our historic buildings come back to life, indeed, it was one of the reasons we wanted to be involved in this development. We’re delighted to be working alongside Homezzz to deliver what I believe will be a truly exceptional scheme.”

Simon Ismail of Salboy Ltd said: “I’m delighted to be working alongside Homezzz to transform this building into something truly special. Developing this real estate will give the building a new lease of life and play in important role in helping to regenerate this part of the city. Recent work to improve the nearby railway station, as well as proximity to major employers such as The Co-op and the newly announced Amazon R&D centre, which is creating 600 new jobs, will make this an extremely attractive proposition to investors.”

The grade two listed building traces its history back to the 1870’s, when it was used as a print works for the Co-operative. During the 1990’s the building saw an incarnation as a crucial part of Manchester’s music scene, whereby both Oasis and James recorded early material at the site. Latterly, the space has been used as serviced offices.

Homezzz has been developed to address emerging trends in the property sector for private rental accommodation. Research suggests that, by 2035, more people are set to rent their properties, than own outright, and building like The Press will help address this demand.