The Woodland Vision: A Story of Land, Legacy, and Learning

Most developments begin with blueprints and spreadsheets. Mine began with a feeling—an undeniable sense of peace, energy, and purpose that hit me the moment I stepped onto an overgrown former cricket pitch in Market Rasen.

My name is Michael Thomas. I’m originally from Brisbane, Australia, and over the last 25 years I’ve built a career across the automotive, software, and AI sectors in Australia, North America, and Europe. London has been home for two decades now, where I live with my wife and our three spirited children. While I’ve always been driven by innovation and building things from scratch—whether in code or commerce—it wasn’t until 2018 that I stepped into the world of property.

Property came into my life almost incidentally. I was travelling regularly to Sheffield for my software business and began investing in small rental properties along the way—modest three- and four-bedroom homes, buy-to-lets, HMOs, and distressed properties. Compared to the complexity of software development, these projects were refreshingly formulaic. I kept pulling at that thread.

Then in 2019, a friend—an estate agent—told me about a property about to go on the market in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. It wasn’t in my usual area, but something told me to go see it.

The site was magical. Tucked away behind a tree-lined drive, far from the traffic, next to a private fishing lake, the land hummed with peace. The former cricket pitch was overgrown but alive with potential. The birdsong, the breeze in the trees, the sheer quiet—there was a stillness that struck something in me.

The land wasn’t just beautiful—it was calling. I knew I wanted to build something worthy of its energy.

The site had outline planning permission for five modest homes—far below what the land could have hosted. The limitation wasn’t the land’s size, but the width of the access road, which prevented highway adoption and capped the number of homes to five. That limitation, paradoxically, became a gift. It meant the homes could be larger, more private, more exclusive.

The journey from concept to construction has been nothing short of brutal. COVID hit just as we agreed heads of terms with the seller, a former solicitor who negotiated hard and offered multiple variations of the desired outcome.

We attempted a Section 73 application to upgrade the design—but the council reversed their advice and demanded a full planning application, which triggered an unexpected £85,000 affordable housing levy. There was no appeal, only a request for a yes or no answer.

The pandemic’s aftershocks sent material prices skyrocketing, forcing us to revise build costs up 66%! Despite the shifting goalposts, we pressed on. I have invested every last available penny to secure the project and navigated the unforgiving world of development finance.

Partnering with Hampshire Trust Bank, we secured finance—but at a cost. Risk mitigation is all about ironing out where things can go wrong in a development, and this project is no exception.  Hampshire have been wonderful partners, but the learning curves have been steep.

We faced one storm after another—literally. Flooding from crazy weather in January halted work, followed by a deep freeze that turned the entire site into an ice rink. Bricklayers were laying footings in sub-zero conditions, waist-deep in muddy water.

We narrowly avoided a £120,000 cost increase by racing to install our rising mains drainage just days before new insulation regs came into force, which would have doubled our steelwork bill. It was chaos, and it was costly—but we moved fast, and we got it done.

The past five years have taught me more than any business deal, software launch, or AI product could. I’ve learned how to:

• Raise funds from investors and banks
• Navigate three interlocking legal contracts.
• Work with councils, warranty providers, building control, and monitoring surveyors.
• Forecast cash flow to the penny.
• Lead when the odds are against you—and you’re exhausted.
   

I’ve learned that small-scale developments are often riskier than large ones because there’s nowhere to hide. One wrong turn and the whole thing can unravel.

Most of all, I’ve learned the value of resilience and doing things right, even when it hurts. This project has placed enormous strain on my finances, my family, and my wellbeing. I’ve joked that I’ll make no money on this, and I probably won’t. But I’ll break even. And I’ll have built something extraordinary.

Because the land demands it. The peace, seclusion, and natural beauty of this site called for homes of architectural depth, craftsmanship, and soul.

The Woodlands isn’t a marketing label—it’s a reflection of its surroundings. Each home sits on half an acre, three overlook the private fishing lake, and all are designed to feel timeless, solid, and serene.

It reflects my philosophy in life and business: if you’re going to do something—do it properly.

If you’re reading this, considering one of these homes, I want you to know what went into them. I want you to feel the energy I felt that first summer day. I want you to walk the site and feel the quiet, hear the birds, smell the air, and imagine what life could be like here.

I want you to know that every brick, every slab, every line of planning and finance has been poured over with intention.

These aren’t just houses. They are the culmination of five years of belief, setbacks, sacrifice, and sheer will. I built them for families who want something rare—privacy, peace, permanence.

If that’s what you’re looking for, then I built these homes for you.

– Michael Thomas

Developer, Founder, Husband, Father, and Relentless Believer in This Place