Criterion boosts affordable housing business
Asif Aziz has bolstered residential plans for his Criterion Capital with the hire of two new directors to help pursue development opportunities across London.
Criterion Affordable Homes has appointed Chris Wilson, founder of Zenith Land, and Douglas Malins, a residential development consultant and affordable housing specialist, as directors.
Wilson was previously head of acquisitions at MHA London for four years and was a partner at Allsop for eight years before that. He founded Zenith Land last June as a private vehicle targeting development in London and the South East.
Asif Aziz has bolstered residential plans for his Criterion Capital with the hire of two new directors to help pursue development opportunities across London.
Criterion Affordable Homes has appointed Chris Wilson, founder of Zenith Land, and Douglas Malins, a residential development consultant and affordable housing specialist, as directors.
Wilson was previously head of acquisitions at MHA London for four years and was a partner at Allsop for eight years before that. He founded Zenith Land last June as a private vehicle targeting development in London and the South East.
The pair join Criterion’s chief operating officer Marc Sandfort and accountant Graham Soraff.
Criterion has been closing in on several sites for residential development across the outer boroughs and bringing schemes to planning throughout the pandemic.
At the start of the year, the investor held consultation over plans for Dalston Kingsland Shopping Centre. Following initial proposals for 500 homes unveiled in 2013, Criterion has now enlisted architects at Buckley Gray Yeoman and aims to lodge plans this September.
In January it submitted plans for 266 BTR homes across three towers of up to 26 storeys at the Watercress Island scheme on the Colliers Wood Island Site (pictured). Proposals would see 40 affordable homes as part of the wider rental scheme.
The investor is also pursuing a 100% affordable 344-home scheme in Thurrock, Essex, and a 750-home affordable rental scheme at Maritime View in Greenwich, which would be its largest to date.
Criterion is best known for its vast Leicester Square empire, including the London Trocadero, W1. The investor had been quiet since the Brexit referendum, but broke its silence with the acquisition of Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court in 2019.
At the time it said it would create an affordable rental product of smaller one-bedroom flats rented at rates close to the mayor’s London Living Rent rates, with a vision to build a portfolio of 15,000 flats in London.
To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@eg.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or EGPropertyNews
Image © JTP Architects
