This month I spoke to James Quinn, founder of the Foras Group, about his route into development, the creation of the Foras Group, the challenges facing SME developers, and the lessons learned from his recent schemes, including 2 Manor Park, Broseley Grove and Creeland Grove.

When I ask James what first sparked his interest in property development, he recalls.

“I’ve always been drawn to the practical side of business, and property felt like a natural fit.

“My family background played a part in that. My dad had been involved in property development, mainly through investing in developments with other developers.

“Before moving properly into development, I was building for other developers, doing refurbishments, new-build projects and other construction work. The natural next step was to start building for myself rather than only delivering projects for clients.

“I started with smaller refurbishment projects, which gave me a hands-on understanding of how things come together on site. Over time, that developed into a wider interest in sourcing opportunities, managing schemes and delivering projects from start to finish.”

Looking back at his career progression, James explains how that journey ultimately led to the creation of the Foras Group.

“My career has evolved across several areas of the construction and property industry. I founded Site Recruitment in 2015, which gave me early exposure to the labour and staffing side of construction, supplying both blue-collar and white-collar roles.

“In 2018, I launched Pivot Construction, which took me further into project delivery, including refurbishment, loft conversions, extensions and new-build construction. From there, we saw an opportunity on a back land site, bought it at auction and secured planning for two two-bedroom houses. That was really where Quinn Residential started. Foras Group came later, when we brought Quinn Residential and Pivot Construction together, under one brand.”