Two UK estates consultancies have announced a plan to merge, creating a significant new education estates advisory business which will operate nationwide.

East Yorkshire-based Shared Agenda and Leeds-headquartered Community Ventures will merge from January, creating new larger estates consultancy, Sewell Advisory.

The business will employ more than 60 people and will operate across the UK.

The two businesses have already been working together on projects for some time, with both being part of the wider Sewell Group of companies.

The decision to formalise the merger was made to help grow the company and ensure all clients could benefit from the strength and depth of expertise available across both businesses.

As part of the wider Sewell Group, both companies are part employee owned and were named in the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work list in 2024.

Current Community Ventures chief executive, Emma Bolton, will become chief executive of new company, with Shared Agenda chief executive, Tim Wigglesworth, moving to a role as director of partnerships across the wider Sewell Group and also continuing as chief executive of Hull Citycare.

Bolton has previously worked across local authorities and the NHS, including at NHS Property Services and NHS England, and as director of estates and fleet at Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Sewell Advisory will specialise in strategy, development, and management of public sector estates, particularly in the health, social care, and education sectors.

The new company will bring together professionals to offer strategic advice, project and programme management, health planning and operational estate management, and will also have a dedicated team of digital and data experts.

Bolton said: “Our team of over 60 experienced consultants and estates professionals will put us on a par with some of the biggest consultancies in the country, and means we can take on larger projects, more-long-term partnerships, and use our wider team to offer even more value, technical expertise and fresh perspectives for our existing customers.

“It’s a really-exciting time for our staff and clients and we can’t wait to unlock new estate improvement opportunities for our health and education sector clients.

“This merger shows we are a key player in the estates consultancy industry and we’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Sewell Advisory will launch from January 2025, with all Shared Agenda and Community Ventures staff moving over to the new company.

Shared Agenda and Community Ventures are both estates consultancy firms with a team of multi-disciplinary consultants who work to solve estates challenges in the health, education, public, and commercial sectors.

With offices across the North of England, including in Hull, Leeds, Stockton-on-Tees, Nottingham, and Manchester, the company manages an estate portfolio of around 150 properties, with a combined value of over £250m. They are also involved in managing a third of the country’s NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) buildings, including over 80 health centres across the north of England and East Midlands.

Recent projects that Shared Agenda and Community Ventures have worked on include leading an infrastructure strategy for NHS Greater Manchester, increasing the number of school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in Rotherham, the investment and development of a new build GP practice near Darlington, undertaking an acute and community services review for NHS trusts who are forming a new group structure, and the delivery of a capital programme to upgrade mental health inpatient facilities for Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.