Family ties

Wed, Dec 6th 2006, 11:00

Staff at a Trowbridge housing development thought they were seeing double when their site manager announced who would be taking over his job – his own brother.

Martin Woodland had been site manager at home builder Redrow’s Rushmead Park development in Trowbridge for a year when he moved to a new Redrow development, Lakelands Edge in Westbury, handing his old job over to his brother John.

John’s career in construction actually started when his older brother offered him a job 12 years ago and now the two both work as site managers for award winning Redrow.

John is currently responsible for the construction of the 65 homes that remain to be built at Rushmead Park and which will be a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom houses. Martin, meanwhile, is overseeing a development of 93 homes in a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom houses in Westbury.

John, 47, who lives with his wife and two children in Peasedown St John, has been with Redrow for nearly seven years and has been a site manager for 18 months. He said: “There has never been a problem of sibling rivalry between us. I haven’t heard of two brothers following each other’s career paths so closely in this industry before, but thankfully it hasn’t affected our relationship and we are still great friends.”

The two grew up in Peasedown St John and still play golf and football together to relax outside work.        
Martin, 55, who lives in Paulton with his wife and 19-year-old son and has more than 30 years’ experience in construction said: “I am happy to hand over the Rushmead Park job to John. I worked closely with him when he was assistant site manager and I know what a talented worker he is.”

Redrow Homes (South West) managing director Robert Slocombe commented: “Working at Redrow is sometimes like being part of one big family and for Martin and John that’s really the case!

“I suppose it is unusual that Martin’s successor should be his own brother, but the important thing is that John is a very capable site manager who is suitable for the job. I am confident both he and his brother will enjoy great success in their new roles.”

To find more information about careers at Redrow, go online at www.redrow.co.uk or for details of availability at Redrow’s developments across the South West, including Rushmead Park in Trowbridge and Lakelands Edge in Westbury, call the sales hotline on 0845 676 0500.