Hammerson appoints Simon Betty as MD for City Quarters and Developments

Simon will be responsible for driving the City Quarters vision, which will see the group move beyond pure retail, delivering vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods surrounding the Group’s existing flagship destinations. Simon joined Hammerson in 2006 and has extensive experience across the business having worked across developments, retail parks, investor relations and Group strategy prior to his current role in Ireland.

A key component of the Group’s business strategy, City Quarters will leverage over 100 acres of its existing land bank to create thriving city neighbourhoods. The concept has achieved a number of milestones in the last three months including delivering outline consent for a 7.5-acre masterplan consisting of 1,300 homes and 1.4m sq ft of workspace at Martineau Galleries, Birmingham, and full consent for a new flagship hotel adjacent to Victoria Gate Leeds. In Dublin, planning has been granted for over 100 apartments at Dundrum Town Centre in South County Dublin marking Hammerson’s first move into residential development in Ireland.

The potential of City Quarters is significant with both short and long-term opportunities and the ability to deliver up to 6,600 homes, 1,600 hotel rooms, nearly 300,000m2 of workspace alongside nine parks and exceptional public realm.

David Atkins, Hammerson Chief Executive, said, “Simon has been instrumental in establishing our presence in Ireland since we entered the market in 2015 and his experience across the business will be essential for the delivery phase of City Quarters. The concept has already made great progress in the last 12 months, and this newly created role will build upon this success, ensuring it delivers value for both stakeholders and local communities.”

The search for Simon’s successor in Ireland has begun and Simon will retain his responsibilities for the Irish portfolio in the interim.