We unlock opportunity – differently.
We pair decades of construction knowhow with property development to deliver complex sites and deals.
Our purpose: to realise the full potential of buildings and land, by shaping, funding and delivering real estate excellence.
ABOUT US
Rainsford Developments is a developer-led business with the expertise to unlock complex, constrained and often overlooked sites.
- We identify opportunities, structure deals and deliver projects from appraisal through to completion.
- The business was founded in 2025 by construction entrepreneur John Self, in partnership with development and investment specialist Reece Bennison.
- We work hand in hand with our sister company Rainsford, a principal and specialist contractor with a 30-year track record in complex London construction, to bring developer, investor and contractor expertise together under one roof.
- We know how to read a site, solve the hard problems, manage risk, keep programmes tight, and protect the bottom line while driving excellence.
- We work nationally, with particular focus on London and the South East.
WHAT WE DO
We focus on opportunities where experience, flexibility and hands-on delivery can add the most value. We invest in our own projects and partner with others to bring sites forward, acting as main developer, investor, development manager, capital partner or joint venture partner.
We work across residential, mixed-use and commercial schemes, and are comfortable with greenfield and brownfield sites, vacant land and existing buildings, as well as part-built developments, stalled schemes and distressed assets.
Our approach is practical and entrepreneurial.
Each deal is shaped around the project and the people behind it, whether through a joint venture, land-for-equity, forward funding, forward purchase or a bespoke investment structure.
Who we work with:
Landowners
Developers and investors
Housing associations, health and care trusts and education providers
Local authorities and other public sector bodies
OUTCOMES FOCUSED, ALWAYS
We create great outcomes for everyone, delivering places that are attractive, safe and sustainable.
MEET OUR DIRECTORS
John Self
Director, Rainsford Developments
John is Chief Executive of Rainsford, the specialist contractor behind some of London’s most complex and prestigious projects, and a director of CPC Project Service, one of the UK’s top-10 cost and project management consultants. He brings three decades of construction leadership to Rainsford Developments, in addition to experience as a developer and real estate investor.
John unites appraisal, investment, deal-structuring and in-house delivery and stands behind fixed-price contracts and performance bonds most firms of this size won’t. His contractor’s-eye view sharpens every development decision: his reading of site-specific challenges, risks, opportunities and costs shape projects that are technically and commercially robust.
Reece Bennison
Director, Rainsford Developments
Reece leads on development and investment strategy, with experience in structuring deals across residential, commercial and industrial schemes – from direct acquisitions and joint ventures to land-for-equity and forward-funding arrangements.
He has a track record in managing and leading investment and development gained at Arcadis, Aitch Group and Healey Real Estate.
Reece brings the developer’s instinct for value: sourcing the right sites, structuring the deal, and finding the route to make complex opportunities work.
CAPABILITY TO DELIVER
What sets us apart is the combination of development expertise and genuine construction capability.
A developer’s instinct with a contractor’s realism
We assess every opportunity from both sides of the table. We understand what creates value and what can undermine it, from planning and design through to procurement, buildability and programme.
Integrated from appraisal to delivery
We don’t just analyse a scheme. We put the deal together, secure the funding and take responsibility for building it. Because construction expertise sits alongside development, decisions are made with delivery in mind from day one.
Practical control of cost and programme
Our construction knowledge gives us a direct understanding of build costs, procurement, sequencing and delivery risk. We challenge assumptions early, manage costs carefully and keep programmes moving.
Experience that unlocks complexity
Challenging sites, difficult planning, complicated ownership structures and unusual financial arrangements need more than a conventional approach. Our combined expertise lets us unpick the detail, find workable solutions and turn awkward schemes into viable ones.
The result is a more joined-up approach to development: fewer handovers, better-informed decisions and greater control at every stage.
CASE STUDIES
St John Seminary
Surrey - Residential
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Moira House
Eastbourne – Residential
Rainsford Developments was involved in acquiring the former Moira House School, a prominent five-acre site in one of Eastbourne’s premier residential locations, adjoining the South Downs National Park. Planning permission was secured to comprehensively regenerate the site, with new homes alongside the sensitive conversion of the historic school buildings.
Quinta do Lago
Portugal - Residential
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Red Lion Court
London - Residential
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