Nick Payne leaves Nikal  

The former managing director has left the property company he co-founded with Alan Murphy in 2003 after 18 years at the helm. 

According to Nick Payne’s Linkedin profile, he left developer Nikal in January and is now listed as an “unattached” real estate specialist. 

The reasons behind his departure are not yet known. Both Payne and Nikal have been contacted for comment but had yet to provide statements about the news at the time of publication.  

Payne has also stepped down as a member of Blackpool’s Town Deal board, a committee set up to guide the development of Government-funded projects in the town, and has been replaced by Nikal chairman Richard Fee, who joined the company last August. 

Manchester-based Nikal is behind a number of major developments in the North West, including the proposed £300m Blackpool Central leisure scheme and Altair, a £70m mixed-use scheme in Altrincham, which has gone through various iterations since its original consent in 2008 and finally started on site in 2019. 

Prior to establishing Nikal, Payne founded Westport Developments, which was instrumental in the regeneration of Deansgate Locks in Manchester.