Gillbanks joins Cityheart

Ex-Brabners regional head of property Jeff Gillbanks has joined the developer as its group legal director.

Gillbanks was previously a partner at Brabners in Liverpool for 21 years where, for a number of years, he was the regional head of property. Prior to that, he was a partner at Berrymans Lace Mawer.

He said of the move to Mark McNamee’s business: “I have worked with the Cityheart team since its earliest days in 2005; acting on their behalf on almost all of their development projects and have a huge amount of respect and admiration for the business that Mark and the team have created.

“I was honoured when Mark offered me the chance to join them – especially having seen first-hand the scope of incredible projects that they have in the pipeline – and was keen to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.

“I am privileged and excited to be able to contribute to the ongoing success of such an ambitious business.”

The move follows Cityheart’s addition of former Investar man James Alderson as development director in September.

Cityheart projects include the £135m Wigan Galleries, due to start in 2023, and the redevelopment of the Golden Triangle industrial estate in Widnes.

Managing director Mark McNamee said: “Having Jeff join our team is a real coup for us.

“We have significantly expanded our scope of operations and felt the time was right for us to have our own in-house legal counsel to ensure that we have the appropriate level of governance and to assist us in delivering projects in a timely and efficient manner.

“Jeff was the natural choice; a very commercial and astute lawyer who has worked with Cityheart since its incorporation and who understands the needs and drivers of the business intimately.”

Cityheart currently operates from offices in Chester and Wilmslow, with teams also located on sites across Gloucester, Hereford and Hertfordshire and a development pipeline in excess of £500m.