Savills appoints Manchester head of planning

Jonathan Ainley takes over the role from Jay Patel, who will continue to be part of the firm’s management board.

Ainley joined Savills as an associate in 2017, after nine years of working as a planner and senior planner for Kirklees Council. He has a strong background in residential planning and was promoted to director at Savills earlier this month.

As head of the Manchester planning team, Ainley will also sit on Savill’s Northern Planning Management Board. This board brings together members from the company’s teams in Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle.

Ainley said: “I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead such a high-performing and experienced team.

“Under Jay’s leadership, we have won some excellent projects and developed strong relationships across the region, and this is something we intend to build upon.”

Ainley continued: “We have a strong breadth of experience and knowledge within the team, complemented of course by the wider Savills network.

“Working more collaboratively with our colleagues in Leeds and Newcastle will help deliver an even higher quality service to clients in the future.”

Jonathan Steele, director and head of regional planning at Savills, congratulated Ainley on his new role, saying the promotion was “richly deserved”.

“The opportunities to collaborate across a number of sectors and initiatives across the North of the country are significant,” Steele said. “I am sure Jonathan will build on the strong reputations that he and the teams have established over the years to ensure that the service we provide our clients remains the best in class.”

Steele also made a point to praise Ainley’s predecessor, Patel. Steele thanked Patel for “his excellent contribution as head of the Manchester team”.

While he is no longer the head of Manchester planning, Patel will continue to have a leadership role at Savills, focusing his efforts on identifying business opportunities that come out of the levelling up agenda.