News release

Margaret Ford, Chairman of English Partnerships has announced the appointment of John Callcutt as Chief Executive of the national regeneration agency.

He will take up his appointment on 2 May for a three-year period.

Mrs Ford said, “My Board is absolutely delighted to make this appointment.  John is a very big player in our field and brings to us his wealth of knowledge and experience working in the regeneration sector. After four years sustained growth in productivity, we needed a highly credible individual to take us on to our next phase of delivery, and we have found that person in John Callcutt.

“John has shown exactly how to balance Government’s aspirations for quality and sustainability with accelerated delivery of complex regeneration projects. This approach is at the core of English Partnerships’ programme.”

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said, “I am delighted with this appointment.  John has shown immense calibre and empathy with the concept of creating sustainable communities through his work with Crest Nicholson.  He will bring his wealth of private sector experience to work in partnership with the public sector to continue to drive delivery of English Partnerships’ programme.

“I was recently very pleased to award Crest Nicholson’s development at Attwood Green with my Sustainable Communities Award.”

John is currently Deputy Chairman of Crest Nicholson plc following fourteen years as its Chief Executive.  He has led Crest Nicholson through a successful transformation from a regional housebuilder to a company leading the way in urban regeneration and sustainability.

John Callcutt said, “This kind of opportunity is one which comes along only once in a career.  I am immensely proud to accept this appointment and am looking forward to working with colleagues in ODPM, with Margaret, and the highly talented staff across English Partnerships.

“I have a real passion and commitment to urban regeneration and sustainability. The challenge of leading the delivery of some of the UK’s most complex regeneration projects was simply irresistible, and I look forward to keeping our focus very sharp in the next three years.”

A solicitor, John is also a leading writer particularly on social issues in urban regeneration and currently chairs a working group for the Housing Forum on meeting customer needs in construction.  He is also a director of the BRE Trust, a member of the Law Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

English Partnerships is the government’s national regeneration agency delivering high quality, sustainable growth in England.  We do this by developing our portfolio of strategic projects and acting as the government’s advisor on brownfield land.  We also ensure that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider government objectives, especially those contained in the Sustainable Communities Plan.  English Partnerships helps create communities where people can afford to live and want to live.  Information on projects and programmes can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk