The Client
Square Bay is a private property company specialising in residential and mixed use development. Operating out of London but with a National reach, they focus on land acquisition, planning, and delivering residential and mixed use planning consents.
Originally formed in 2002 as a partnership of senior industry and financial professionals, they have established a strong track record and have gained a reputation for excellence in planning, development and investment. To date, Square Bay has obtained planning consent for 1,450 residential homes and circa 200,000 sq. ft of commercial space, with a further 2,100 residential units and 1.5 million sq. ft of commercial space in the planning process.
The Challenge
Square Bay contacted us with a requirement for security following the acquisition of the soon to be vacant Redwood Lodge Hotel and grounds on the outskirts of Bristol. The popular and well known 16-acre, 120-bedroom hotel had fallen into well-publicised administration and had been subsequently purchased by Square Bay who planned to develop the site. Square Bay was looking for cost-effective solutions to protect the site before and during the development phase, against urban explorers, metal thieves and the travelling community.
The Veritas Solution
Veritas were asked by Square Bay to consider suitable solutions and promptly attended the site to carry out a full security review whilst the hotel was still operational. We put forward a detailed proposal based on the unique risk profile of the property, with options ranging from vacant property alarm systems, to mobile patrols, caretaking and 24-hour security guarding.
Following acceptance of the proposal, we were appointed as the primary security contractor, and arranged for a suitable handover of the site on the day of completion, when we also installed all the necessary security measures.
The chosen solution was an internal and external vacant property alarm system, supported by two ex-forces Gurkha Security Officers employed in a caretaking capacity for the first four weeks. The Security Officers took up occupancy of the building in a Security In Residence Service (SIRS) capacity and were on hand to respond quickly and effectively to any alarm activations. They could also provide a professional, courteous and reliable concierge facility as and when needed.
Following the initial period of manned security, we reduced the measures to a temporary wireless alarm system, along with regular inspections and a fully secured perimeter.
The Result
Throughout the 36 months that we protected and managed the site, there were many attempted break-ins, but we were always quick to respond and deal with intruders and the site remained free from any major incidents. Furthermore, there were a high number of arrests and prosecutions which were directly attributed to our security solutions, meaning many of the trespassers were subsequently unable to reoffend.
Tom Vaughan-Jones, Director of Square Bay said: ‘This was the first project that I engaged Veritas and its services on, and was absolutely delighted with their professionalism, dedication and service throughout what could’ve been a very difficult site.
‘Veritas’ honest approach to providing the most cost-effective solution and service really help me to keep within my development budgets. Having a trustworthy and transparent security provider is of key importance, and I am pleased to say that Veritas have always excelled in the delivery of their services.
‘Square Bay have since appointed Veritas on a number of other projects and they are currently securing and managing one of our largest development sites in the Midlands.’
