Property experts to help you achieve your goals

Duncan Thomas

Head of Planning & Development Advisory

Duncan joined Aitchison Raffety in August 2024 as Head of Planning and Development, based in our London office.

Duncan has over 25 years’ experience of development, planning and regeneration projects nationwide gained through roles in both consultancy and client-side in the public sector. His projects have spanned various market sectors and ranged in scale from small scale opportunities through to major town and city centre mixed use developments and the delivery of new communities.

Leading the Planning and Development team Duncan is passionate about coordinating the delivery of high-quality advice to both existing and new clients of the business.

 

Jamie Curtin

Associate Director

Jamie leads the London Building Surveying Team having joined Aitchison Raffety in July 2023. Providing advice across London and the Southeast of England.

With over 15 years’ experience advising clients across residential and commercial sectors including offices, industrial / warehouses, high street retail, schools, private individual homes, mansion blocks, social housing blocks, and development schemes.

Jamie is experienced in a wide range of Building Surveying disciplines covering legal and regulatory compliance, defect diagnosis and remedial works, project management, dilapidations, planned maintenance and neighbourly matters amongst other areas.

John Clark

Associate Director

John qualified as a Chartered Building Surveyor in 1993 and has been with Aitchison Raffety since 1992.

He has 30 years of experience of building surveying, design and project management and medical related schemes have accounted for at least half of John’s professional work for over 10 years.

John has extensive experience in all aspects of the development process and provides services ranging from the design and or project management of new build and extension schemes to monitoring for Funds, PCT’s and Practices.

John specialises in:

• Healthcare focusing on primary health and medical centres.

 

 

Paul Dudley-Smith

Director

Paul has a specific responsibility for Building Surveying and Design covering both residential and commercial property. The building surveying team also undertake acquisition surveys on a variety of building types including schools, construction monitoring, specific defect analysis, preparation and negotiation of Schedules of Dilapidation and Schedules of Condition.

Paul has over 31 years’ experience with Aitchison Raffety, having started his career in the Special Projects Division of the London Borough of Haringey where he undertook repairs and improvements to schools, housing and public buildings. Initially he worked in Berkhamsted and then Northampton, and Milton Keynes, undertaking residential and commercial surveys and valuations and small building projects before joining our building survey team at our Hemel Hempstead office. He became a Group Director responsible for the building surveying team and undertakes survey and project monitoring work in central London and throughout the UK.

Specialist Areas: 

• Monitoring building projects on behalf of lenders
• Work in progress, valuations of construction works
• Dilapidations
• Acquisition surveys of residential and commercial properties
• Residential valuations
• Insurance reinstatement assessments

Qualifications:  BSc (Hons) FRICS C. Build E FCABE

Simon Ayles

Associate Director

Simon is a Chartered Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer with over 31 years experience primarily in residential property valuation and surveys in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and London. He is a specialist in surveying non traditionally constructed houses and period and listed buildings. Highly experienced in and have acted as a Single Joint Expert for court and matrimonial valuations and providing evidence as a Single Joint Expert at Public Inquiries, The Royal Courts of Justice and County Court.

Specialist Areas:
Building Surveys on listed buildings, country houses and non traditionally constructed houses.
Residential valuations for court purposes, inheritance tax, capital gains tax and help to buy.
Independent expert reports for building defects and matrimonial purposes.
Acting as a Single Joint Expert.
Insurance reinstatement assessments.

Qualifications: BSc (Hons) MRICS