David Whitlock BSc Hons MRICS 
With over 25 years’ experience as a Chartered Planning & Development Surveyor, I have a strong track record of creating and delivering financially successful real estate development projects across the UK.
I have worked with private and public landowners, occupiers, developers, and investors, both client-side and in consultancy. I thrive on turning challenges and opportunities into market-facing, well-designed, and quality-built schemes.
Oversight, co-ordination, and monitoring of projects
Deal sourcing, property acquisition, and disposal
Winning planning and other statutory consents
Marketing campaigns, leasing-up and sales
Speculative and pre-let development
Build-to-suit and asset repurposing
Regeneration and placemaking
My role typically involves sourcing deals, acquiring land and buildings, shaping scheme designs, securing planning permission, leading project delivery teams, managing funding, and driving sales and leasing.
I bring a strategic but hands-on approach to the end-to-end delivery of market-facing, sustainable development projects and maximising financial returns upon income stabilisation and exit.
Market Sectors
Opportunistic and value-add developments for new-builds and repurposing of existing buildings, and for redevelopment of operational business property:
- Residential (including Build-to-Rent)
- Commercial, Retail, Business Space
- Industrial-Warehouse and Logistics
Acquisition of Land and Buildings
End-to-end transaction management, including deal sourcing, site appraisals, key underwriting, forensic due diligence, and handling commercial and legal negotiations. I also manage satisfaction of conditions precedent to ensure smooth purchase completion, funding, leasing and sale.
Planning, Regulatory and Legal Consents
Securing market-facing, buildable planning permissions and other statutory consents. I work to resolve viability, legal, technical, and logistical issues early enabling a swift and confident start on site.
Intensive End-to-End Development Management
Oversight, monitoring and coordination of projects, and risk management, from concept to completion. This includes setting realistic ESG strategies, managing rights of light and neighbourly matters, highways agreements, early contractor engagement, construction delivery, managing project funding, market demand studies, marketing and leasing, pre-let agreements, and exit strategy to maximise investor returns.
Driving Stakeholder Engagement
Building trust and buy-in by working with local politicians, influencers, neighbours and wider communities — helping to win hearts and minds and drive successful outcomes.
Mixed-Use Regeneration and Place-Making
Delivering high-quality, purposeful places where people can live, work, socialise and invest.
I’m always open to conversations with employers, developers, investors, landowners, occupiers, and fellow professionals looking to drive new opportunities forward.
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