Adam Taylor

On behalf of it’s client, Montreux Capital Management (“MCM”), Westfort Advisors led the growth funding strategy and subsequent disposal of their ‘Zero Three Care’ business (“ZTC”); a leading provider of residential care and supported living facilities for adults with learning disabilities, autism and other complex needs.

Over the last 2.5 years, MCM had successfully grown the business through organic development and M&A, achieving 16 sites, with around 100 beds – as well as driving significant operational enhancements. Having realised their return target ahead of underwrite, MCM opted to divest in order to focus on new investments.

Westfort led the sale of ZTC to leading investment manager, Downing LLP, who manage a fund strategy targeting businesses and management teams that deliver high-quality healthcare services in needs-based markets, with clear opportunities for growth.

Oliver Harris, CEO, MCM, commented

“we wish Downing every success, as they take Zero Three Care into its next phase of growth. They are acquiring a truly exceptional business with a strong leadership team and foundations for continued expansion. This marks another successful realisation for Montreux in the specialist care sector demonstrating the firm’s ability to drive operational growth and deliver long term value.”

Richard Herring, Co-Founder, Westfort Advisors, continued

“this transaction delivered an excellent outcome for Montreux, surpassing original ambitions and recognising the strength of what has been built at Zero Three Care. We are equally pleased for Downing, who have acquired a business of real calibre — with talented leadership, robust infrastructure, and the resources in place to achieve institutional scale.”

Torsten Mack, Investment Director, Downing, said:

“Zero Three Care has built a strong reputation for delivering excellent outcomes in specialist care and we are excited to partner with management to support their growth plans. There is significant demand for adult specialist care services across the UK with an undersupply of supported living and residential care units highlighting the need for growing businesses committed to high quality care, such as Zero Three Care.”

The MCM team, led by Oliver Harris (CEO), included Paddy Evans (Investment Director) and Mark Cullen (Group Finance Manager) and was advised by Gowling WLG (legal), in addition to Westfort Advisors.

The Downing deal team, led by Torsten Mack (Investment Director), included Luke Stevenson (Associate Director), Elisabeth Harden (Investment Executive) and George Manolis (Investment Analyst) and was advised by Shoosmiths (legal counsel), Cooper Parry (financial & tax diligence), Mansfield (commercial diligence), Fulcrum (operational diligence), JLL (valuation support), Pinders (property surveys) and Vista Insurance (insurance diligence). Debt finance was provided by Shawbrook Bank.

Westfort Arranges Funding to Support £25m Redevelopment of Landmark Grade II listed Cotswolds Hotel

• Structured senior debt facility to support refinance and redevelopment of Dumbleton Hall Hotel
• 34-bed Grade II* listed hotel in Evesham, The Cotswolds
• US-based borrower with deep development experience
• Hotel to reopen under management of Bespoke Hotels in late 2025

London, 23^rd July 2025 Ortus Secured Finance (Ortus) is pleased to announce a significant loan to support the refinance and redevelopment of Dumbleton Hall Hotel, a Grade II* listed country house hotel within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Dumbleton Hall Hotel is owned by Chatham Park Development, a US-based development firm who acquired the hotel in April 2021. Chatham Park Development was advised on the financing by Westfort Advisors. Legal advice on the transaction was provided by Stevens & Bolton LLP.

The facility refinances an existing lender and supports the completion of extensive renovation and repositioning works. The historic 34-bed property, which sits in 15.8 acres of parkland near Evesham, is undergoing a multi-million-pound transformation to become a premium hospitality destination. Practical completion is expected in Q3 2025, and once complete, it will be operated by Bespoke Hotels.

Led by Jamie Russell, Director, at Ortus, the transaction reflects Ortus’ ability to structure sophisticated, projection-led facilities for high-value hospitality assets and support experienced developers through transitional phases. Chatham Park Development plans to expand the hotel further in 2026, with the addition of 20 woodland lodges nestled into the Estate’s picturesque grounds.

Jamie Russell, Director at Ortus Secured Finance, commented:

“This is exactly the kind of complex operational real estate transaction Ortus excels at. We were impressed by the borrower’s commitment to the scheme, their track record, and the level of progress already made. The structure ensures alignment on every drawdown and gives us strong visibility on the delivery path. We look forward to seeing Dumbleton Hall re-emerge as a high-quality destination hotel in a resilient UK leisure market. While we are not usually known for development and refurbishment projects, given the strength of the borrower and asset, we are pleased to support Chatham Park Development and expand our portfolio.”

Deepak Drubhra, Co-Founder of Westfort Advisors commented:

“This transaction presented several structural challenges – most notably the listed status of the asset and the need to refinance part-way through the development phase. Working closely with Ortus, we were able to agree a funding structure that balanced development risk and significantly improved the sponsor’s return on capital. Ortus’ pragmatic, solutions-led approach and ability to underwrite complexity were instrumental in closing the deal efficiently.”

Robin Sheppard, President of Bespoke Hotels, added:

“Dumbleton Hall is a truly special property in one of the UK’s most iconic destinations. We’re delighted to be returning as operator and look forward to unveiling the next chapter in its storied history. Ortus’ commitment to seeing the redevelopment through has been instrumental in bringing this project to life.”

The transaction follows a series of high-profile commercial deals by Ortus in the hotel, care home and mixed-use sectors, reinforcing its reputation as a reliable and agile lender for complex real estate scenarios and reinforcing its presence in the hotel, care home and mixed-use sectors.

Delin and Markaz JV secures financing for Kent distribution centre

Delin Property, the fully integrated European logistics warehouse specialist, has formed a joint venture with Kuwait Financial Centre – Markaz to target value-add opportunities in the logistics sector. The JV has completed its first acquisition, in Kent, and will undertake an extensive refurbishment to create a Grade A distribution centre ideally suited to serving London and Southeast England.

The JV has acquired a 200,000 square-foot warehouse on the Colebrook Industrial Estate, Royal Tunbridge Wells, that has been vacated by former owner M&S. Delin Property will oversee a full refurbishment programme which will enhance the environmental credentials. The total investment will be around £27m, covering the acquisition of the 9.8-acre site and the capital expenditure costs of the refurbishment.

Raffi Killian, Delin Property’s Head of Investments, said:

“This is a excellent start for our partnership with Markaz. We sourced this asset at an attractive entry price and have a detailed plan for it, leveraging all our team’s skills. We’re taking a dated asset with low site density in a great location that needs hands-on asset management to meet today’s occupier needs. In Markaz we have an ideal JV partner, since it has been running a successful development strategy focused on the European industrial sector for the past seven years.”

Renovation works are due to commence in the second quarter of 2025. The refurbishment will include replacing all 24 goods doors, the dock levellers, office windows, all rooflights and smoke vents. Internally, the works include repairing the warehouse floor, stripping out and refurbishing the office space, installing new heating and cooling systems, removing all gas infrastructure and fitting LED lighting throughout.

Lisa Amin, Markaz’s Head of European Real Estate Business Development, said:

“We’re delighted to be joining forces with Delin Property, which has built a strong track record in value creation in the logistics space over more than a decade. This property ticks every box for our investors, with strong occupier demand for this location, given its proximity to London and access onto a major artery for cross-Channel freight traffic. We look forward to working with the Delin team on more opportunities of this type in the future.”

The Tunbridge Wells property is 35 miles south east of central London and is close to the A21 and A26 roads, which link to the M25 London orbital motorway and the M20 to the Channel Tunnel freight terminal at Folkestone and the port of Dover.

BLME is the lending partner on the transaction, providing acquisition and development debt.  Westfort Advisors was the sole advisor to the JV for the debt financing.

Westfort has successfully advised on a loan restructure for a £50m office building in Canary Wharf.

The Sponsor was facing an upcoming maturity and the multi-let asset had a short WAULT which made refinancing the loan difficult.

Westfort obtained feedback from potential refinancing lenders, and this fed our analysis to achieve a successful loan restructure and extension. This enabled our client to focus on asset management initiatives and re-gear some of the leases and refinance the loan with a stronger asset.

Westfort is delighted to have supported a UK fund manager negotiate a discounted pay-off on a £10m loan, secured by a 100-key hotel.

A senior representative of the fund manager said;

“Westfort’s involvement was vital to align all parties towards a successful resolution. They provided us with clear and pragmatic advice throughout the process, and their experience was great to have on our side of the negotiation table”.