HOUSE
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WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURES : STUART BOLTON
Former NHS couple create thriving property development firm
A
move into property development has p roved just what the doctor ordered for former GP Andrew Threadgold . Until recently , Andrew was an experienced
GP and his wife Nicola a midwife .
Now , however , their careers have followed a different path with the creation of thriving property development and accommodation businesses - Corner Plot Properties and its offshoots .
They now supply high-end , high-quality serviced accommodation , and an accessible holiday property at Liberty Stays in Redcar .
Alongside Nicola ’ s dad Michael Corner – hence the ' Corner ' Plot company name – Andrew and Nicola initially set about renovating tired properties with a view to renting them out .
But things have snowballed to such an extent that within just three years , they now have around 100 bedrooms across Tees Valley and the North-East – and there ’ ll be plenty more where that came from .
Andrew and business partner Philip Jordan recently bought the Norton Hotel on The Green in Seaton Carew – a historic , 23- bed hotel ripe for renovation , which they ’ ve already set about giving the top-quality Corner Plot treatment .
The Norton is part of the history of Teesside , dating back to 1800 when it was originally known as the George and Dragon .
Corner Plot ’ s success means that on April 30 , 2024 , aged just 46 , Andrew hung up his GP stethoscope to concentrate on the property businesses full-time , while Nicola has left the NHS and is now a midwifery lecturer at Teesside University .
Andrew admitted : “ To go from being a GP practice owner to retiring at the age of 46 and now owning different businesses is quite something for a lad originally from a council estate near Manchester .
“ It started just before Covid . We ’ re both very passionate about Teesside – Nicola is from Redcar and my first GP practice was there – and we knew about the amount of work coming to the area .
“ We also knew the standard of accommodation on offer was basic , so we decided to concentrate on providing high end short-term accommodation and it has proved incredibly popular !
“ Lately things have taken off massively and we have lots of exciting things in the pipeline .
“ We have huge enthusiasm for Teesside , it is such an under-rated place , with so many exciting things happening . We want to invest in accommodation to support the ambitions for Teesside ' s tourism and leveling up plans . “ With all the businesses coming to the area , the workforce will need somewhere to stay and we believe we have the full range of accommodation needs covered .
The most recent purchase - their flagship Norton Hotel feels like a milestone for their company .
They ’ re planning on ploughing a six-figure sum into it – but Andrew is confident it will
Andrew and Nicola Threadgold at one of their serviced accommodation properties in Seaton Carew .
prove money well spent . Phillip has extensive experience working in the hotel industry having worked for Hard Rock Hotel in both America and Singapore , and is hoping to bring a bit of this pizazz to The Norton in due course .
" We were excited when the opportunity came up to purchase The Norton . It had recently been refurbished , however , we have ambitions to transform the hotel into something special in the future .
Not only do we want to develop the hotel to a high standard we are also hoping to transform some floors into one and two bedroom apartments for serviced accommodation .
And as for the message Andrew wants to put out there regarding Corner Plot Properties ?
He said : “ Our whole business group offers a full range of accommodation – from quirky Victorian seafront houses , a hotel , luxury accessible bungalows or large multiple bedroom properties to accommodate whole workforces and more .
“ So , if anyone is looking for accommodation or somewhere to stay on Teesside , we would love for them to contact us first .
Visit cornerplotgetaways . co . uk 65