JLL has attracted the head of land from award winning London developer, Pocket Living, to bolster its new residential development business in the Midlands.
William Cox joins as director and reports to Simon Horan at JLL, who was recently appointed to head up the new team, to capitalise on the rise of city living across the Midlands and in particular Birmingham.
With affordability being a key concern for a growing number of young people heading to the city, Cox’s experience at Pocket Living will be utilised to find viable new opportunities for clients.
Cox says he welcomes the challenge of a new market and to be a part of an industry heavyweight such as JLL, who already has a good breadth of experience of the residential sector in the wider business.
“The money being invested in the region, with HS2 and the Commonwealth Games, will be truly transformational for the city and will be a key target for investors and developers looking for the next wave of growth.
“At Pocket Living, we helped to create new homes for young people who struggled to get a foot on the housing ladder. How we perceive housing is shifting and the new ‘living’ sector, including build to rent and multi- tenure is creating innovative new solutions to address the affordability issue.”
Talking about the bonus Cox will bring to the business Simon Horan added: “There’s no doubt William will contribute to the strength of the residential business and the wider team which includes valuation, planning and affordable housing specialists.
“His experience with Pocket Living as a disruptor and innovator in the marketplace makes JLL well-placed to direct and realise client’s ambitions in this competitive market sector.”
The aim is for JLL’s new Midlands residential business to replicate the performance of the London and Manchester offices becoming a market leading team servicing this sector.
