The Raven Group

Showhouse, April 2005

Big names form new property partnership

A new partnership has been formed which is setting out to transform the retirement housing sector.
Anton Bilton, Chairman of Raven Mount Plc, and Nick Sanderson, founder and owner of Audley Court have created a new company, Raven Audley Court. This joint-venture will specialise in the development of quality housing schemes for the elderly with extensive after-sales services. Both men have backgrounds in property and construction. Bilton is the grandson of the late property developer Percy Bilton, and Sanderson is the son of Frank Sanderson, former chairman of Bovis and founder of Bovis Homes.

Together with Ravens Chief Executive Bim Sandhu, they plan to invest £100 million in creating a UK-wide portfolio of assisted living centres over the next decade building on the attributes of the two companies.
Raven has a versatile property and development portfolio but is better known for its sympathetic listed building conversions. Sanderson has considerable expertise in the care sector, developing a new style of independent housing for older people with his former company Beaumont Healthcare and, since 1991. with Audley Court.

The new joint venture will capitalise on the industry need for high-quality housing for older people with a versatile range of on-site 24-hour care and support services. It is already a style of living developed by Sanderson at his two assisted living centres in Harrogate and Tunbridge Wells, which will now be managed by Raven Audley Court PLC.
Speaking to Show House, Sanderson says he originally met with Raven to discuss the possibility of Audley Court becoming involved in their 220-acre scheme at High Royds hospital just outside Leeds: "It looked really suitable and eventually grew into a discussion over whether to formalise an arrangement.

"The former Grade I listed hospital, in Menston, near Leeds will now be transformed into 650 homes, nearly 100 of which will be destined for assisted living. Prices range from £125,000 to £350,000, and in each scheme residents buy a cottage. apartment or bungalow, furnish it how they want and pay a standard service charge, typically £500 a month, which can be topped up to pay for any additional services they require. The company has also applied for planning permission for 73 homes in Sevenoaks. Kent. on land adjoining the Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve. Sanderson is currently in talks with planners and predicts that consent will be gained in a year. He told Show House that he thinks the potential market for his venture is huge: "People of retirement age currently make up a quarter of this country's population, and the over-65s occupy about 80 per cent of the nation's privately owned assets, mostly in property. That adds up to £480 billion of underused family accommodation, a housing logjam which our
scheme has the potential to unlock." "One of the ideas is that smaller accommodation could be provided for older people which would allow them to live in a home that is more manageable, which would free up a lot of family housing which would take some of the pressure off the housing market."

"We are offering homes for both the younger retired and also for those who need extra assistance. This involves long term management and provision of services and the management, recruitment and training of care staff, making sure the right services am available to help people as their needs change. "Our overall aim is to establish RAC as the market leader, not just in sheltered housing but in the more specialist field we work which is what you'd call assisted living. And just for the record, my parents-in-law live in one of my projects, and my mother lives in her own apartment."

Big names form new property partnership

A new partnership has been formed which is setting out to transform the retirement housing sector.
Anton Bilton, Chairman of Raven Mount Plc, and Nick Sanderson, founder and owner of Audley Court have created a new company, Raven Audley Court. This joint-venture will specialise in the development of quality housing schemes for the elderly with extensive after-sales services. Both men have backgrounds in property and construction. Bilton is the grandson of the late property developer Percy Bilton, and Sanderson is the son of Frank Sanderson, former chairman of Bovis and founder of Bovis Homes.

Together with Ravens Chief Executive Bim Sandhu, they plan to invest £100 million in creating a UK-wide portfolio of assisted living centres over the next decade building on the attributes of the two companies.
Raven has a versatile property and development portfolio but is better known for its sympathetic listed building conversions. Sanderson has considerable expertise in the care sector, developing a new style of independent housing for older people with his former company Beaumont Healthcare and, since 1991. with Audley Court.

The new joint venture will capitalise on the industry need for high-quality housing for older people with a versatile range of on-site 24-hour care and support services. It is already a style of living developed by Sanderson at his two assisted living centres in Harrogate and Tunbridge Wells, which will now be managed by Raven Audley Court PLC.
Speaking to Show House, Sanderson says he originally met with Raven to discuss the possibility of Audley Court becoming involved in their 220-acre scheme at High Royds hospital just outside Leeds: "It looked really suitable and eventually grew into a discussion over whether to formalise an arrangement.

"The former Grade I listed hospital, in Menston, near Leeds will now be transformed into 650 homes, nearly 100 of which will be destined for assisted living. Prices range from £125,000 to £350,000, and in each scheme residents buy a cottage. apartment or bungalow, furnish it how they want and pay a standard service charge, typically £500 a month, which can be topped up to pay for any additional services they require. The company has also applied for planning permission for 73 homes in Sevenoaks. Kent. on land adjoining the Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve. Sanderson is currently in talks with planners and predicts that consent will be gained in a year. He told Show House that he thinks the potential market for his venture is huge: "People of retirement age currently make up a quarter of this country's population, and the over-65s occupy about 80 per cent of the nation's privately owned assets, mostly in property. That adds up to £480 billion of underused family accommodation, a housing logjam which our
scheme has the potential to unlock." "One of the ideas is that smaller accommodation could be provided for older people which would allow them to live in a home that is more manageable, which would free up a lot of family housing which would take some of the pressure off the housing market."

"We are offering homes for both the younger retired and also for those who need extra assistance. This involves long term management and provision of services and the management, recruitment and training of care staff, making sure the right services am available to help people as their needs change. "Our overall aim is to establish RAC as the market leader, not just in sheltered housing but in the more specialist field we work which is what you'd call assisted living. And just for the record, my parents-in-law live in one of my projects, and my mother lives in her own apartment."