Approved inspectors come together

Clarke Banks was founded in 2013 in Surrey by Samuel Wright and Adam Melrose. Its team comprises 11 building control surveyors, nine fire engineers, two technical staff and 11 administration staff.

Wakefield-based Assent Building Control’s most recent accounts show 81 staff and £26m annual turnover. It has been majority owned since 2017 by German investment firm Alpina.

The acquisition comes at a time when the industry is preparing for the introduction of the Building Safety Regulator as part of the Building Safety Act.

Assent chief executive Iain Thomson said: “We have been actively looking to expand our suite of services in Assent, so it was important to us that the business we acquired would offer benefits to both parties, not simply grow the number of surveyors we could offer. Sam and Adam have built an incredibly successful business that provides complementary services to those offered by our existing businesses. The enthusiasm for the work that they do is second to none and we are delighted to be welcoming them to the Assent group of businesses.”

Clarke Banks co-founder Adam Melrose said: “The introduction of the new Building Safety Regulator is making our whole industry look very closely at what will be required to achieve the competency levels needed. The recent consolidation we have seen in the sector is ultimately positive for the industry as a whole.  Being part of the larger group network will provide additional strength in the future for our team and greater resilience in service for the diverse and strong client base that we have built.”

The acquisition of Clarke Banks was completed on 27th July 2023. The company will continue to be branded as Clarke Banks.

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