Place Capital Group, the estate regeneration specialist set up by David Smith-Milne in 2021, has announced a trio of new recruits to support its growing project and development pipeline, taking headcount to 29
Leading the expansion is Eleanor Binns who has joined as Project Director. Eleanor has previously spent 16 years with Project Management specialists, Buro Four, where she was Project Director working from their Manchester Office. Amongst Eleanor’s projects whilst with Buro Four were the Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) and Gorton Monastery, where she was lead project director.
Eleanor joins Place Capital Group to head up the company’s project delivery and will lead the implementation and delivery of all of PCG’s major projects. These include the regeneration of the Shadsworth estate in Blackburn, a second major estate due to be announced soon, and increasing number of direct development projects that the business is now starting to target.
Commenting on her appointment, Eleanor said: “PCG has a unique take on the country’s affordable housing challenge, seeing potential for new, lower cost homes on our ageing, often unloved former Council estates, whilst lifting those estates through expert place making. Not only does this innovation excite me, the culture and values that the business brings to the market were exactly aligned with where I wanted to be.”
Ben Burton also joins as a Development Manager from City of York Council’s zero carbon homes programme. He supported the start-up of the 600-home programme and was development manager for two of the largest zero carbon homes sites in the UK (Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme). He was also involved in the development of extra care housing, sports facilities and community facilities, including the Burnholme Health and Wellbeing campus and Lowfield Green.
Finally, Jamie Pratt joins the team as a paid Intern. He was previously in the Royal Marines before being medically discharged through injury. He is a second-year student of Building Surveying at The University of Salford.
Commenting on the growth, which takes the number of the group’s employees to 29 based in in its HQ in Castlefield, Manchester and in London, Chief Executive David Smith-Milne said:
“We are lucky to have found three highly talented, and exceptional individuals, in what is a tight recruitment market. The new team members join our fast growing business which is expanding through recent acquisitions and new and interesting project wins across the UK.”
