Willmott Dixon has appointed Stuart Belfield as operations director and Richard Sterling as sales and marketing manager as part of plans to grow its house building business in the north of England.

The company already builds 1,500 homes a year, mainly in the South East, and has been growing its presence in the North Midlands housing market during the past 12 months, securing several large schemes including the £23m programme to deliver 197 new retirement homes in Derbyshire for Chevin Housing Association, a member of the Together Housing Group.

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The appointments of Stuart and Richard are key elements in a drive to extend the company's geographic reach into the North after it secured a place on all four regional lots of the HCA's Delivery Partner Panel 2 framework, which is used to procure construction of homes on land owned by HCA and other public sector bodies.

The company's housing aspirations for the region are also strengthened by being on further key frameworks; Scape, The Cutting Edge Framework and Procure Plus New Build Framework.

Stuart was previously regional managing director for Mansell in the North West, while Richard worked alongside Stuart as business development manager.

Willmott Dixon is a significant player in the wider construction market in the North, with offices in Oldham, Leeds and Newcastle delivering an annual turnover approaching £150m. This platform will be used to expand the company's house building capability in the region.

(CD/JP)