Hidden Mowbray
Wells, Somerset
A vacant site with no straightforward route to residential development, but perseverance and a staged planning strategy resulted in a consent and the scheme is now completed.
Residential Property Development Advisory
Sourced. Designed. Delivered.
We help you transform opportunity into successful outcomes by uniting the right people and strategy with our solution-led approach.
About Us
Considered advice, at any stage in the process.
We advise landowners, developers, investors and lenders on residential schemes, and can be involved as much or as little as a project needs. That might mean seeing a site through from the first appraisal to the final sale, or stepping in at a single point where an experienced view makes the difference — reviewing a deal, setting the strategy, reviewing slow sales or getting a stalled scheme moving again.
Either way, the advice starts with an honest assessment of what a site can realistically support. And because it isn't tied to a sales commission, a build contract or a bigger design fee, it starts from what's genuinely right for your site — practical and commercially informed.
About Harry10+ yearsDirect delivery experience in residential development
Somerset basedLocal team, local knowledge, national reach
Solution-led approachAn honest assessment of a site's challenges and opportunities
ConnectedFunding, planning, design, construction and sales specialists
How we work
Sourced
Designed
Delivered
See how a job runs
What we can do
Wherever you are in the process, there's a route through it.
Land appraisals and planning strategy for landowners, consultancy for schemes that need a steer, construction management for sites ready to build, and structured partnerships for those looking to co-develop or invest.
Choose the situation closest to yours to see how Harry can help.
Landowner Services
What the land can support, and whether it is worth pursuing.
A garden, field, paddock or redundant building — we appraise planning prospects, constraints and realistic value, and tell you honestly if it is worth pursuing.
- Initial appraisal of planning prospects and constraints
- Promotion and option agreements
- Sale, joint venture or self-development routes compared
Landowner Services
Planning progressed, without the upfront cost.
Through a promotion or option agreement arranged with trusted promotion partners, the planning process can be funded and managed on your behalf, so you are not paying for consultants or applications out of your own pocket while the case is being made.
- No upfront cost to you as the landowner
- Arranged through trusted promotion partners
- Value shared fairly once consent is secured
Consultancy
Acting as sales doctor, with a strategy that protects cash flow.
Whether sales have stalled or costs have drifted, we step in as sales doctor — diagnosing what is really holding the scheme back and identifying a strategy that mitigates cash flow risk, whether that means re-pricing, re-planning, redesign or a change of approach.
- Sales doctor: an independent read on why a scheme is not performing
- A strategy that mitigates cash flow risk
- A clear, costed route back to delivery
Consultancy
A trusted check between you and the other side of the table.
Whether an agent is advising on your land or a developer has put an offer in front of you, it pays to have someone who has sat on every side of the deal. Harry reviews what is being proposed, tests the numbers and the terms, and can act as the go-between, so you know what is fair and nothing is missed.
- Independent review of agent advice, offers and option or promotion terms
- Values, costs and assumptions tested against real delivery
- Negotiation support, or acting as intermediary between the parties
Consultancy
A viability picture before money is committed.
Residual land value, planning risk and suggested sales values, set out plainly so you know what the site supports before you buy, bid or build.
- Development appraisal and residual land value
- Suggested sales values, pricing and exit advice
- Offer and bid strategy on competitive sites
Consultancy
The consent worth chasing, and the case that gets it there.
Not every site should go for the largest scheme. We read the policy position, decide which consent is actually winnable, and assemble the team to argue it.
- Policy review, precedent and pre-application strategy
- The right consultants appointed and coordinated
- Application managed through to determination
Partnerships
Land, capital and delivery, properly aligned.
Structured partnerships with landowners, investors and fellow developers, so each party shares fairly in the value created.
- Joint ventures and equity structures
- Incentives and returns agreed at the outset
- Delivery led by us from land to completion
Landowner Services
The consent position and the buyer pool, settled before listing.
Value is missed when consultants work in silos. Our cross-discipline experience means we can ensure the right strategy and end buyer are identified before we run the process.
- Pre-application and outline consent strategy
- Marketing pack and buyer targeting
- Negotiation managed through to completion
Operations
Construction managed to programme and budget.
From heritage conversions to new build, including schemes of up to ten homes we build ourselves.
- Somerset builds under £2m delivered hands-on by us
- Schemes over £2m run through a trusted contractor network
- Cost, quality and programme oversight throughout
Partnerships
Always keen to hear from good people.
If you are an agent, planner, architect, contractor or other consultant and think there might be a fit, whether on a specific site or as an ongoing working relationship, we would like to hear from you.
- Referral and introduction arrangements
- Joint working on specific sites or schemes
- Building the trusted network we bring to every project
Start here
Describe the site, and we will tell you which of these it is.
Most people arrive with a piece of land and a question rather than a brief. A short conversation is usually enough to say which route fits — and whether it is worth pursuing at all.
- A twenty-minute call, at no cost
- An honest read on whether there is a scheme here
- A recommendation, even when that is to do nothing
Selected Projects
Willow Lodge
Pilton
Regeneration of a former car servicing garage into holiday accommodation, where we assisted with planning, design and project management to completion.
Wookey
Wells
Coming soon.
FAQs
The questions landowners, developers, investors and lenders ask us most. A fuller set of answers lives on the FAQs page.
For LandownersI own land with potential — how do I know if it is suitable for development?
We can provide an initial view on your land’s development potential by reviewing factors such as planning policy, access, services, site constraints, local demand and likely delivery routes. The aim is to give you a clear, honest understanding of whether there may be an opportunity worth exploring further.
For DevelopersCan you support a project from site identification through to delivery?
Yes. Our work can begin at site sourcing or appraisal stage and continue through planning, funding, design coordination, construction and exit. We can either lead the process or work alongside an existing team, depending on the needs of the project.
For InvestorsDo you offer partnership opportunities in your developments?
We work with selected private investors, family offices and capital partners where there is a clear fit with a development opportunity. Partnership structures vary depending on the project, risk profile and capital requirement, and are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Working With UsWhat makes Renshaw Smith different from other consultants?
Renshaw Smith pairs serious development experience with the attention of a smaller practice. You deal directly with the people making the decisions, supported by a trusted network across planning, architecture, construction, finance and sales that scales to fit each project. Our integrated approach — Sourced, Designed, Delivered — means our advice is shaped by what works on real sites, not theory alone.
Contact
Talk through a site
We start with a conversation about the opportunity as a whole — not just the planning position, but how design, cost, delivery and sale all fit together. That holistic view is what tells us whether there is a case worth taking further.
Start the conversation