Rural property firms grow together (From The Northern Echo)

Rural property firms grow together

1:24pm Tuesday 4th October 2011 in Farming News

TWO of the region’s rural property companies are merging.

GSC Chartered Surveyors, a rural practice and estate agency business, and Gray’s Chartered Surveyors – strongly orientated towards estate and sporting management – are to become GSC Grays.

Each has a strong foothold in its heartland and will provide a comprehensive service to landowners, agricultural businesses and those selling, buying and developing rural properties.

Their range of professional services include property sales and lettings, rural consultancy, estate management, sporting, renewables, valuations and surveys, and advising on planning and development matters.

The merger brings together about 35 staff at offices in Barnard Castle, Hamsterley, Leyburn, Richmond, Stokesley and at the Earl of Durham’s estate office at Lambton Park, near Chester-le- Street.

The two firms were established separately by David Gray, chairman, and Guy Coggrave, managing director of GSC Grays.

Mr Coggrave grew up on the family farm in North Yorkshire and established GSC in 2004, specialising in farm business advice.

The opening of an office in Barnard Castle in 2005, and the arrival of director David Cooper, saw it expand into estate agency and valuations and surveys.

Last year, GSC acquired Holmes and Rose, in Stokesley, and opened an office in Leyburn, giving it a presence in County Durham, North Yorkshire and Teesside. Director Chris Arundel was also appointed.

David Gray has more than 25 years’ experience. He was an equity partner and head of rural practice and estate management for a national firm of chartered surveyors before establishing Gray’s Chartered Surveyors in 2005.

Talking about the merger, Mr Gray said: “We were at a point of being ready to take Gray’s forward and identified GSC as a company of like-minded people.

“While some of our expertise overlaps, we each bring established specialisms.”