Gateway 2 experts Project Four Safety acquired by Vadella Group

The Liverpool-based firm headed up by Max Meadows and Alan Robson has joined the private equity-backed group of compliance businesses as it embarks on its next chapter of growth.

With more than 30 Gateway 2 approvals, Project Four Safety Solutions is one of the country’s most successful building safety consultancies, having stewarded in excess of 10,000 residential units through the regulatory process introduced after Grenfell.

The deal with Vadella – which is accumulating companies from the testing, inspection, and certification sector with the backing of Blixt – will see Project Four maintain its branding and open the door to investment into recruitment and bolstering digital infrastructure to improve service for clients and drive efficiencies.

“P4 remains P4 and Vadella has committed to that. So they they’re giving us their backing, giving us the investment but we retain control,” Meadows said.

“They’re not going to come in and cut the life out of P4.”

Since its formation in 2016, Project Four has helped some of the region’s most active developers navigate the complexities of the building safety process.

Its workload ramped up considerably in the aftermath of the Grenfell tragedy 2017, and the subsequent beefing up of regulations following the Hackitt report in 2018.

Following a well-publicised sluggish start to the Gateway 2 approvals process, Project Four was instrumental in securing Manchester’s first successful scheme, guiding the 1,000-unit One Medlock through to approval.

“The Building Safety Act has changed the way the industry has to approach projects, and Gateway 2 has raised the bar again,” Meadows said.

“We’ve been right in the middle of that, working with some of the region’s biggest development teams and helping them navigate what is still a relatively new and challenging process.”

Today, waiting times for Gateway 2 approval are down to around 19 weeks on average and Project Four is advising prolific regeneration specialist Muse on more than 30 schemes and is retained by skyscraper developers Salboy and Renaker.

“We’ve got a strong business, a great team and a lot of opportunity in front of us,” Meadows said. “Vadella gives us the investment and additional capability to build on that rather than take our foot off the gas.”

One Medlock was Manchester’s first Gateway 2-approved scheme. Credit: via Greystar

James Knight, group chief executive of Vadella, said: “I’m delighted to welcome the Project Four team to Vadella.

“Their Building Safety Act and principal accountable person expertise is a fantastic addition to the group. Project Four’s track record with some of the UK’s leading contractors and developers makes them a natural fit alongside the compliance specialisms our clients already rely on us for.”

Project Four’s growth over recent years is born out in its headcount, which stood at 20 post-Covid and is now at 60. The aim is to add at least another five staff before June 2027 and open a fourth office in Birmingham to add to others in Liverpool, London, and Manchester. Talks about a Bristol office are also ongoing.

The firm is also hoping to grow revenues, which came in at £6.7m for 2025/26, by £500,000 over the next 12 months.

This is where improvements to digital infrastructure – required to deal with the sheer volume of information the Gateway process demands – come in, explained Robson.

“We could probably increase our turnover by just being more efficient on projects,” he said.

“Once we can crack that digital side of things, that’s where we can push the button. [The deal] is going to give us a lot more clout… it just helps us build on what we’re already doing.”

An investment boost will also give Project Four the opportunity to branch out and tap into sectors it has yet to explore.

“We haven’t done any public sector bidding as a business really,” Robson said. “But now we’ll start doing some strategic bids and maybe get on some frameworks.”

Robson will stay with the firm as a consultant focusing on business development, client care, and winning new work.

He said he is relieved the Vadella deal has now concluded and that attention can turn to growing the business.

Talks with a range of potential suitors began in January. Robson recalls one meeting he and Meadows had with an interested party when it became clear early on a deal would not be a good fit.

“This wasn’t about just being swallowed up into a big business,” he said. “We were conscious we don’t want to turn into a big corporate, but that’s why the fit with Vadella just felt right.”