AMBITION

An Edinburgh-based corporate advisory firm co-founded by tyre entrepreneur Mike Welch has taken a stake in a burgeoning land remediation company specialising in the removal of Japanese knotweed and invasive plants in the UK property market.

Fullcirclepartnershastaken what is understood to be a 10 per cent stake in TP Knotweed Solutions. The latter is eyeing further expansion and its client base has grown to include Jcdecaux, Bellway Homes, Midland Metro Alliance, Birmingham City Council, Knight Frank and the NHS, plus thousands of private homes across the country.

It comes as it moves increasingly into the commercial sector and eyes likely consolidation in the UK.

TP Knotweed Solutions was founded in 2011 by MD Tom Payne, and provides remediation services to land-owners, developers and public bodies for complex sites where Japanese knotweed, among other contaminants, has prevented property and land transactions, caused planning permission problems and halt-

0 Tom Payne of TP Knotweed, Mike Welch (Full Circle) and TP’S Oliver Zito

DIRECTOR MIKE WELCH ed or delayed construction. Japanese knotweed has its origins in Asia but in the UK has no natural predators and easily out-competes other native species due to its accelerated growth rates. In the summer it can grow by ten centimetres a day, and if left untreated, emerging shoots can quickly exploit weaknesses in brick, tarmac and underground pipework, causing costly damage to everything from roads to buildings.

TP Knotweed Solutions says that after either its “robust” five-year herbicide treatment programme or complete excavation for development sites, a ten-year insurance-backed guarantee is issued.

TP Knotweed and Full Circle Partners see scope for consolidation in an industry currently characterised by small, regional players. TP Knotweed, headquartered in Banbury, Oxfordshire, operates nationwide and is mulling further expansion over the next 12 months as its client base grows.

Payne said: “We have remediated

“We were impressed with Tom from the start and he’s built the best team in the UK to address what is an ever-bigger problem.”