<p>A property developer headed by ex-Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn has acquired Northern housebuilder Avant Homes.</p> <p>Yorkshire-based Berkeley DeVeer, of which Fairburn is ceo, is to take over the £500 million-turnover Avant Homes, supported by Elliott Advisors, an affiliate of fund manager Elliott Investment Management.</p> <p>Avant, which currently builds in the Midlands, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland, delivers approximately 2,000 homes per annum. It employs around 780 people. In December, ceo Colin Lewis announced his intention to retire from his post on April 30 2021.</p> <p>Under the new ownership, Fairburn will become Avant’s chairman. The housebuilder’s existing management team will remain in place with Mark Mitchell, currently Avant’s chief operating officer, becoming ceo on May 1, replacing Lewis who will move to non-executive deputy chairman.</p> <p>Established in 2013, Berkeley DeVeer operates across Yorkshire and North East England. Fairburn became ceo last year, having left Persimmon in November 2018 following controversies over his pay.</p> <p><span>He said: “Avant Homes is a fantastic business, with a strong proposition and a compelling track record of growth. It has a high quality management team that has transformed the business, with an unrivalled focus on building design-led homes in the UK housing market’s fastest growing regions. …