Will sets sites on a new business future

The former director of land, development and residential investment at a leading Edinburgh estate agency has launched his own consultancy - and aims to deal with buyers and sellers of some of the Capital's stunning properties.

Will Scarlett, property sales specialist

Will Scarlett’s eponymous firm will consult on land and development deals as he continues to carry out some work with his former employer Rettie & Co on a number of sites on the east coast.

Will is kicking off his solo career by selling Forth House and Playfair House, jointly with Rettie & Co, a pair of connected office buildings in Edinburgh city centre, on behalf of a property fund which is based in London.

Forth House, currently occupied by Forth Radio, is a category B-listed townhouse on Forth Street, while Playfair House is a modern office development on Broughton Street Lane and is currently occupied by Curo Compensation, the Humanist Society, Social Investment Scotland and Wallace Whittle.

Headon Developments is currently building 11 terraced mews houses on the lane, filling a gap site left behind by a former warehouse that was previously used as a car park. Will previously sold this site for the same fund while working at Rettie & Co.

Will said: “After more than 15 years running the land and development team at Rettie & Co, I’m thrilled to be starting my own company.”

Prior to joining Rettie & Co in 2002, Will worked as a developer at Kilmartin Property Group. His career has also included eight years with Clarkson as a shipbroker.

After an initial five years in London, Will moved to Singapore to run a client account based in Jakarta, before spending three years working throughout the South-East Asian market. He holds a history degree from the University of Bristol and also a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the University of Strathclyde’s Strathclyde Business School.

During his 15 years with Rettie & Co, Will has worked on a number of high-profile projects in Edinburgh, including the acquisition of the Q1 building at Quartermile development on the site of the former Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh; the Summerhall development on the former Royal Dick Vet site; and the Edinburgh St James regeneration project. Simon Rettie, managing director at Rettie & Co, said: “Will has been instrumental in building our land and development department as part of the wider land and consultancy team over the past 15 years and so I’m delighted that we will continue to work together as he launches his new venture.

“Our two businesses will continue to work together on the sale of both land and developments across Scotland and the North East of England.”