CEO interview
that’s in demand inside the M25 area. I think it’s unlikely that we’ll expand out to other areas of the country. I think Greater London will continue to be our focus space.”
TCHE: Are you looking at building a specific number of homes per year? RM: “We are actively looking for land opportunities. We haven’t defined the number, but we will take those opportunities as they arise. Growth is an important [part of] the future plan and strategy for Signature, but growth means many things. We’ve undertaken refurbishment programs, and that’s about growth within the existing buildings – being able to grow the offer that we currently provide ... There’s no growth challenge or expectation, so I wouldn’t present you with a number, but I do know that it’s really important that we continue to be able to provide these types of services where the demand exists within the M25 space. “We don’t want to compromise on where
we’ll site these homes. One of the more interesting things that we’re doing at the moment is thinking outside the box in terms of what’s possible. I think we constrained ourselves in the past in terms of what the land opportunities might have looked like, in terms of space available, build design types. When you walk up to a Signature home, it feels like a Signature home straight away – there are things that are unique to Signature, but we’re looking at how we can evolve the design so that we can be more flexible about space considerations, about locations, and buildings fitting within the environment. So, thinking about our development in Surbiton that’s opening the summer, you’ll see a different design style to what’s seen as customary [for Signature], and that’s because it’s in a far more urban
The £7.5m refurbishment is focused on Signature’s mature homes
Hornchurch and Enfield are both exciting sites, they’re more of a ‘traditional’ example of what Signature does. Surbiton will be an example of something that starts to shift that slightly. It’s brownfield – formerly [the site of] an NHS building, so it’s really exciting to be able to upcycle a public health space into something that’s still going to give benefit to the community as a care space.”
space. It’s still a premium, luxury building, but it will be, by design, a little bit different to some of our typical builds.”
TCHE: So Signature is looking at both greenfield and brownfield sites? RM: “Absolutely. Again, I would draw on Surbiton as an example, because while
TCHE: A number of the homes undergoing refurbishment were originally acquired from Sunrise Senior Living. Would Signature consider future acquisitions? RM: “I think we should never rule that out, but it’s not a straightforward thing, because to fit the Signature model and the Signature standard really constrains what opportunities there are to make an acquisition out in the market.”
Challenges and opportunities TCHE:The £7.5m refurbishment programme is focused on Signature’s mature homes. What was the thinking behind that? RM: “There’s a constant maintenance program and an investment program going on even in some of our newest builds. [Our homes in] Banstead and Weybridge most urgently required investment and refurbishment ... they’re well-maintained properties, but this is about what people expect when they think about opulence and luxury living and how that’s evolved in the last 10 years. “Banstead has seen a £1.5m investment.
It feels like a new building in the way that we’ve restored and upgraded not just the
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com April 2026
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