About Us - Colten Developments

About Colten Developments

Colten Developments was established over 50 years ago, in Lymington, by John Colwell and Adrian Otten.

We are a successful family-owned firm with no external shareholders to satisfy. Colten Developments build luxury residential developments as well as care homes for our sister company Colten Care.

Together with Colten Care, we recently designed, constructed and moved into our purpose built headquarters in Ringwood, Hampshire. The investment in the new office, forming a combined headquarters with Colten Care, ensures we continue to attract the very best talent in the construction and care sectors

“We pride ourselves on our efficient management planning, building & marketing.”

The history of Colten Developments

With extensive experience of both Civil Engineering and Construction, Adrian Otten and John Colwell combined forces in 1971, and as two young men formed their own company – Colten Developments – based in Lymington. The firm took its name from a combination of their two surnames and work began in the New Forest area particularly. The name Colten has become synonymous with the highest standards of building and excellence, and the company has branched further afield.

We at Colten have now a large portfolio of developments behind us, principally within the New Forest, Hampshire and Dorset areas. It was our intention, from the outset, to concentrate on the residential property market, and it is true that this ethos continues today.

Colten care was established in 1980, when we opened our first residential care home in Lymington, Hampshire. The company was founded by Adrian Otten and John Colwell, both of whom had already gained a reputation in the construction of high quality residential schemes in the area. Every one of our care homes since has been designed and constructed by Colten Developments.

Founder John Colwell

John began his career as a management trainee with Bovis Holdings working on a variety of projects from large superstore construction through to small work conversions. He joined Taylor Woodrow in 1965 and was part of the site management team working on several large sites involved in the regeneration of the East end of London. This was followed by two years with Yeoman & Partners working in contracts management for clients such as Marks & Spencer and Shell. In 1968 the opportunity arose to join a small company involved in house building within the New Forest before forming Colten Developments with Adrian Otten in 1971.

Founder Adrian Otten (1940-2021)

After leaving Leeds University with a degree in Civil Engineering and following practical experience in both design and site work, Adrian became a full member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. From 1963 until 1967 he worked on the design and construction of motorway systems including the M1. This was followed by six years with John Mowlem & Co, gaining extensive experience in civil engineering covering a wide range of work from the London Underground system to nuclear submarine refueling stations and various civil engineering works at Fawley Oil Refinery stations, and the new docks at Monmouth and Hull. In 1971. together with John Colwell, Colten Developments was formed.

Meet the team

George Colwell

Managing Director
George project manages the construction of all new build property which includes construction of our new care homes for our sister company, Colten Care, and also residential development schemes of varying size. George also manages the refurbishment of our existing care home portfolio across Hampshire, Dorset and West Sussex as part of our estate management strategy.He is joint Managing Director of Colten Developments, together with Rick Otten. They both share an enduring passion to continue development of the residential business for the next generation.

📞 01425 541145 📧 georgecolwell@colten.co.uk

Rick Otten

Managing Director
Rick joined the family business in 2001 and started gaining valuable experience in land acquisition and navigating the complexities of planning, for both our residential/retirement schemes and our new care homes. He spent time assisting with project management of two of our new 65 bed nursing homes and took control of managing property sales for our residential schemes.Rick is Joint Managing Director of Colten Developments, alongside George Colwell. Both share an enduring passion to continue development of the residential business for the next generation.

📞 01425 541145 📧 enquiries@colten.co.uk

Philip Brannon

Director of Development
Phil joined Colten in April 2016 and is responsible for the acquisition, planning, delivery and resale of future development projects. He is a Chartered Planning & Development Surveyor and member of the RICS. He previously worked for Savills UK in the development team – providing development agency and consultancy advice to local and national clients

📞 01425 541136 📧 philipbrannon@colten.co.uk

Ian Heard

Group Director of Construction
Ian joined Colten in early 2016 and is responsible for the construction and commercial management of all new build and refurbishment projects from initial feasibility through to practical completion. Ian has a solid commercial background gained from his previous experience with regional and national developers. He works closely with the construction and commercial teams to deliver the end product envisaged at design conception. He value engineers where possible to reduce project costs but without detriment to the high quality product Colten have built a reputation for.

📞 01425 541145 📧 ianheard@colten.co.uk

Harvey Baker

Purchasing Manager
Harvey joined Colten in 1988, as an assistant buyer, from a traditional construction company in Southampton. He became Purchasing Manager in 2005 when Chris Jackson retired. The department is responsible for specifying and purchasing a wide range of materials to a high specification and at the right price.

📞 01425 541145 📧 harveybaker@colten.co.uk

Nigel Nother

Head of Technical Design
Nigel first joined Colten in 2004 and immediately embraced the role of Senior Architectural Technician. After 11 years, Nigel took a short break from Colten, before returning in 2019 to take up the role of Head of Technical Design. Nigel boasts a wealth of industry experience and his responsibilities include preparing working drawings, electrical layouts and the finer detailing of all Colten schemes, from housing developments and apartments to 60+ bed care homes and contemporary office buildings.

📞 01425 541153 📧 nigelnother@colten.co.uk

Maria Ayles

Sales Coordinator
Maria joined Colten Developments in 1980, originally as a Receptionist, before moving to work in the sales department; she worked for the Sales Director and then formed a role to market and sell our new homes to prospective purchasers. This role includes reserving a property, through to completion -including any extras that might be required – decoration schedules for the properties and even providing after care with organising snagging for the first two years of occupation.

📞 01425541141 📧 mariaayles@colten.co.uk

Paul Baldry

Land Buyer
Paul joined Colten in 2022 and is responsible for sourcing and acquiring new residential development sites and opportunities. He has worked within the property market since 2001, dealing with residential, commercial and mixed-use property and land, covering Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and West Sussex.

📞 01425 541140 📧 paulbaldry@colten.co.uk

About Colten Developments