Headland Developments Wins Prestigious Best Low-Rise Residential Development Award

Headland Developments Limited announced today that it has won the iProperty Best Development Award 2015 for Best Low-Rise Residential Development, for its first residential development in the United Kingdom, The Franklin. With overwhelming support from consumers, agencies and leading industry professionals, The Franklin received the highest percentage of public votes and achieved the highest score in architectural design, spacial layout, special features and amenities. Last year Headland Developments won the same award for The Fountainside in Macau.

“We are extremely gratified to have been awarded the Best Low-Rise Residential Development accolade for The Franklin,” said John Gunning, Managing Director at Headland. “This marks our second year in a row winning this award from the iProperty group, and it validates our unique UK investment and development business model.”

“Winning this award reinforces our investors’ belief in our ability to select and develop projects that not only produce great returns but are also significant from a design and architectural standpoint,” said Paul Hill, Director at Headland.

Located in the village of Bourneville, Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city, ‘The Franklin’ is a landmark property development highlighting the best and most innovative development that Birmingham has to offer. Previously home to the headquarters of famous British  confectioner Cadbury, ‘The Franklin’ represents a new concept of living that brings together the best of both worlds: contemporary living in a beautiful garden village environment, just minutes from Birmingham city centre. See more about The Franklin here.

The award ceremony for the iProperty Best Development Awards 2015 will be held on April 29, 2016, 2:30PM – 4:30PM at W Hotel – Studio 3 & 5, 7/F (1 Austin Road West, Kowloon Station, Hong Kong).

Watch “Business Birmingham – Best to Invest”


 

Watch “Birmingham 2015: An incredible year!”


 

“The Impact of HS2 on Development” An interesting article re the impact of HS2 on Birmingham by Savills World Research

The initial impact of HS2 will be on Birmingham. The city is already changing fast and undergoing tremendous regeneration and development. Large employers are expanding and, in turn, not only generating more jobs but also a bigger number of higher skilled positions. These changes have not gone unnoticed by investors, many of which are looking beyond London for new opportunities.

The Franklin appears in BBC’s “Midlands Today”

Headland features in Fortune China regarding UK and Birmingham Property

Overseas property investments are again increasing in popularity as China’s stock market swings drive retail investors in Greater China to look for more stable investment alternatives. The Shanghai Composite Index recently fell approximately 30% over three weeks as central government officials tried to halt the slide in values.
The United Kingdom, in particular London, has historically seen a lot of investment from China. In 2014 alone Chinese buyers splashed out US$3.32 billion on real estate in the UK capital, according to UK-based property consultant Savills. Today, high net worth Chinese investors are diversifying away from overpriced London properties into second-tier cities in search of better values.
They are supported by the UK government’s effort to boost economic growth in stand-out second-tier cities such as Birmingham. As a result, the smart money from Asia is looking to invest in the early stages of select property development cycles there. But they can only do so armed with local market knowledge and the ability to seize the right opportunity, which remain key to investment success.
Asian developers who have that in-depth knowledge are being engaged by Asian investors to manage their UK property investments. Such developers bring an understanding of the Asian culture and customs as well as local market knowledge to the task of finding the right opportunities for their Asian investors.
That is the kind of partner Chinese investors need to be certain of getting their investments right in overseas markets such as the UK. China’s qualified domestic individual investor (QDII2) scheme will make this more important than ever, as a select group of individuals could have the option of investing up to half of the total value of their assets in international financial asset classes such as real estate.
What do Chinese investors require when investing into a market such as the UK? There are tax and legal implications of which they need to be aware and have structured appropriately. They need to ensure that the right opportunity is sourced that reflects their individual risk profiles and return requirements; and that they have the right partner to source these opportunities, manage them appropriately from inception to completion as well as providing regular updates and information at each stage of the project.
The latest example of the diversification away from London is The Franklin, a modern complex of 79 apartments located in Birmingham. Knight Frank has launched sales of The Franklin in Hong Kong, which is being developed by British local developer Court Collaboration in partnership with Hong Kong-based developer Headland Developments on behalf of its Asian investors.
As more investors from Greater China turn to the UK for stable investment alternatives, they will need trustworthy developers with whom they can work to lower their risk. Asian developers with a proven track record in construction, development and funds management, who in addition have a strong network of local development partners, will become Chinese investors’ go-to sources for overseas investment, which we broadly term cross border investment with local execution.

BPN brief for conversion of Cadbury’s Franklin House. Read the article in The Birmingham Post.

Architecture practice BPN has been appointed to redesign the former Cadbury headquarters in Bournville into a host of luxury apartments.

The Jewellery Quarter-based firm is working with Birmingham developer Court Collaboration and Hong Kong-based Headland Developments on the £16 million project to redevelop Franklin House into 79 one- and two-bedroom apartments, including four penthouse suites.

China set to invest £105 billion in UK infrastructure by 2025, with property one of the biggest recipients. Read the article in The Financial Times.

China is set to invest £105bn in British infrastructure by 2025, with energy, property and transport the biggest recipients, according to research.

The world’s second-biggest economy has already invested £11.7bn in Britain between 2005 and 2013, including a 10 per cent stake in Thames Water, Britain’s biggest water utility, held by the China Investment Corporation, the sovereign wealth fund.

Headland takes Chinese Investment to the UK. Read about the £16 million project in The South China Morning Post

It was once the headquarters of the Cadbury confectionery company in England, the place where the famous Milk Tray brand of chocolates, among others, was said to have been invented.

Now a consortium of Hong Kong and Macau investors is investing £16m (HK$199 million) to turn into an apartment complex.

Hong Kong-based Headland Developments and Birmingham-based Court Collaboration have formed a joint venture representing the investors to convert the 74,000 sq ft Franklin House in Birmingham into 96 one- and two-bedroom flats.