Respected Approved Inspector, Ball & Berry, has taken the next step in its national expansion programme, by opening a new office in the south of England.

Following the opening of its Birmingham office 14 months ago, the move by the Chartered Building Control Surveyors will lead to the creation of new jobs within the business, including that of a new Regional Director, a role which has been filled by Stuart Martin.

Stuart will lead the firm’s charge in the city from a new London headquarters to cement Ball & Berry’s presence in the south as additional team members are recruited, as well as acting as the point of contact for architects, developers and clients to agree solutions to building control challenges.

Prior to entering the sector, he spent many years serving in the military where he used his time as a Combat Engineer to develop his skills and understanding of the construction industry. Now with 17 years’ experience in building control, Stuart has played an integral role in several Building Schools for the Future (BSF) schemes in Kent, as well as many domestic, healthcare and leisure developments across the south.

The new serviced office at Mabledon Place, Bloomsbury, is a fully refurbished, stately period building offering spacious meeting and conference rooms, and places Ball & Berry within a stone’s throw of the capital’s main transport hub of London Euston.

Opening a fourth office continues Ball & Berry’s strategy of driving collaboration and growth between its specialist Building Control Surveyors, support staff and clients, as it delivers an increasing volume of major projects. Ball & Berry is currently appointed to a number of retail, office and leisure fit outs across the south, as well as a series of new build residential projects and apartment refurbishments.

Director Paul McNeill explains: “The opening of an office in the south of England has been a long-term aim of ours, and something which we have inched towards as we have expanded our service offering across the country.

“For many months, members of our team have been travelling to the capital to meet clients and help their projects progress, but an influx of contracts and a buoyant market made it the right time to set up shop and take a permanent presence in London.

“While the move will enable us to work in closer proximity with our southern clients, the recruitment of Stuart as our new regional director will mean we can truly showcase our position as the most experienced and specialist Approved Inspector in the country.

“Though the construction market has experienced unsettlement in recent months as a result of the pandemic, we have full confidence the sector will recover and have more momentum than ever, and we are available to support that.”

Regional director, Stuart Martin, said: “Despite the challenges the last few months have presented, Ball & Berry has continued to come to the fore as the trusted Approved Inspector across the UK, and I feel privileged to have been selected as the one to continue expanding that service in the south.

“There are a wealth of exciting projects already underway in the region, and we have our sights set on making our new London office a prosperous hub of activity as the industry recovers further from the pandemic.”

Ball & Berry currently has 24 staff across offices in Preston, Manchester, Birmingham, and now London, with its team including a number of ex-Heads of Local Authority Building Control. It specialises in commercial building control services across a variety of industry sectors.