Former Knight Frank Directors Launch Ashlawn Chase: A New Force in Midlands Property Consultancy
The Midlands property market has welcomed a significant new player. Will Jordan and Charlie Steele, two highly respected former directors from Knight Frank's specialist land and development division, have joined forces to establish Ashlawn Chase, a dedicated residential development consultancy headquartered in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire. With nearly four decades of combined experience navigating the complexities of the Midlands property landscape, the pair are well-positioned to offer a level of regional expertise that is both deep and genuinely hard to replicate.
The launch of Ashlawn Chase marks a bold entrepreneurial step for both Jordan and Steele, who spent years building their reputations at one of the world's most recognised property advisory firms. Their decision to strike out independently reflects not only their confidence in the Midlands market but also a growing appetite among developers, landowners, and investors for consultancies that offer focused, regionally grounded advice rather than broad, generalised services delivered from a national or international platform.
Who Are Will Jordan and Charlie Steele?
Both Will Jordan and Charlie Steele spent significant portions of their careers at Knight Frank, one of the leading global property consultancies, where they operated within the land and development team. This specialist division advises clients on everything from land acquisition and disposal to strategic development planning and residential scheme delivery. Working at this level within a top-tier firm means both men have been involved in some of the Midlands' most notable residential development projects and land transactions over the years.
Their combined experience of nearly 40 years in the Midlands property market means they have witnessed — and actively shaped — the region's residential development landscape through multiple market cycles. From the post-financial crisis recovery period through to the recent challenges posed by rising interest rates, planning reforms, and shifting buyer demand, Jordan and Steele bring a nuanced, cycle-tested perspective that newer entrants to the market simply cannot offer.
What Is Ashlawn Chase?
Ashlawn Chase has been established as a residential development consultancy with a clear regional focus. Based in Henley-in-Arden — a market town in Warwickshire that sits at the heart of the wider Midlands region — the business is designed to serve a broad client base that includes private landowners, housebuilders, property investors, and developers of varying scales.
The consultancy's name itself carries regional resonance. Ashlawn Chase brings to mind the pastoral, semi-rural character that defines much of Warwickshire and the broader West Midlands countryside — a fitting identity for a firm that intends to be deeply embedded in the communities and markets it serves.
While full details of the consultancy's service offering continue to emerge, firms of this type typically provide a range of advisory services including:
- Strategic land identification and promotion through the planning system
- Land acquisition and disposal agency
- Development appraisals and viability assessments
- Site assembly and promotion strategies
- Advice to registered providers and affordable housing specialists
- Residential market analysis and demand studies
Given the founders' backgrounds at Knight Frank, Ashlawn Chase is expected to operate at the higher end of the market, advising on complex, high-value land transactions and strategically significant residential schemes across the Midlands.
Why the Midlands Property Market Matters Right Now
The timing of Ashlawn Chase's launch is not accidental. The Midlands has been one of the most consistently active residential development markets in England over recent years, driven by strong population growth, substantial infrastructure investment — including HS2-related activity — and a chronic imbalance between housing supply and demand.
Cities like Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, and Nottingham continue to attract significant development interest, while surrounding counties including Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Leicestershire are seeing growing pressure to deliver new housing on greenfield and brownfield sites alike. The planning environment, however, remains challenging, with local authorities under competing pressures to build more homes while managing environmental obligations and community concerns.
In this context, specialist consultancies with genuine local market knowledge are invaluable. Landowners seeking to unlock the value in their assets and developers trying to navigate the planning and viability complexities of Midlands sites need advisers who understand not just the national policy framework but the specific priorities, personalities, and precedents that shape decision-making at a local level. This is precisely the gap that Ashlawn Chase appears designed to fill.
The Trend Toward Boutique Property Consultancies
The establishment of Ashlawn Chase reflects a broader trend across the UK property advisory sector. Experienced professionals who have built their expertise within large, corporate consultancies are increasingly choosing to establish boutique firms that can offer clients something the big players struggle to deliver: genuine personal attention, faster decision-making, and the kind of deep local knowledge that comes from years of working within a specific market rather than being parachuted in from a national office.
Clients across the development industry have grown increasingly aware of the difference between receiving advice from a senior, seasoned professional with real skin in the game and receiving a polished presentation from a large firm where the experienced names on the front cover are rarely the ones doing the day-to-day work. Boutique consultancies like Ashlawn Chase trade on the direct involvement of their principals — a compelling proposition for clients making significant, often irreversible, investment decisions.
Looking Ahead: Ashlawn Chase's Place in the Midlands Market
With an experienced founding team, a strategically chosen base in Warwickshire, and a clear market focus, Ashlawn Chase is well-placed to establish itself quickly as a trusted voice in the Midlands residential development and land advisory space. The region's ongoing housing pressures, combined with the complexity of the current planning and economic environment, mean that demand for high-quality, specialist consultancy services is unlikely to diminish anytime soon.
For landowners, developers, and investors operating across the Midlands, the arrival of Will Jordan, Charlie Steele, and Ashlawn Chase represents a genuinely interesting addition to the advisory landscape — one built on decades of hard-won experience and a clear commitment to serving the region they know best.