United Trust Bank Funds £19m Birkdale Residential Development for Oakwood Group

30 July 2026

United Trust Bank (UTB) Property Development has provided a £13m acquisition and development facility to support the delivery of a prestigious new residential scheme in Birkdale, one of the North West's most sought-after coastal locations.

The funding has been provided to Oakwood Group, the successful North West housebuilding group founded by Jonathon Ball in 2014. The company has established a strong reputation for creating high-quality contemporary homes across the region and is a returning customer of UTB.

The new development will transform a former utility site into a collection of 33 outstanding new homes with a total GDV of approximately £19m. The scheme comprises 18 detached houses, 11 semi-detached homes and 4 large duplex apartments, offering broad appeal to family buyers and downsizers.

Many of the properties will enjoy views across the renowned Royal Birkdale Golf Course towards the coast, whilst the larger homes will feature open-plan living spaces, premium finishes and thoughtfully designed family accommodation. All homes will achieve an EPC A rating, appealing to buyers seeking lower running costs, greater energy efficiency and minimal maintenance.

The £13m facility represents 68.5% LTGDV and 89% LTC and the new funding follows UTB's successful support of another £12m Oakwood Group development which is approaching practical completion.

Jonathon Ball, Founder of Oakwood Group, commented:

"We are delighted to be commencing this development having committed significant time and effort progressing the scheme through a challenging planning process. It has been great working with Huw and the UTB team once again. Huw understands our business and our ambitions and UTB’s support enables us to move forward with confidence on what will be one of our most exciting developments to date."

Huw Jenkins, Senior Director – Property Development, at United Trust Bank, said:

"One of the most satisfying aspects of development finance is supporting experienced developers as they grow their businesses and move on to increasingly ambitious schemes. Having already worked successfully with Oakwood Group on another substantial development, we were keen to support Jonathon on this prestigious project.

“Birkdale remains one of the North West's most desirable residential locations and this is a well-designed scheme offering a strong mix of contemporary homes for a range of buyers. Jonathon and the Oakwood team have created a development which makes the most of its exceptional setting whilst delivering attractive, high-quality homes which we believe will be very well received by the market."