The Church Commissioners today announce the appointment of John Weir as Head of Strategic Land Investment in their Property Investment Department.

John will be responsible for overseeing more than 50 strategic sites across 5,400 acres, as well as numerous smaller sites within the Commissioners’ rural portfolio. He will also take the lead in identifying acquisitions to replenish the Commissioners’ strategic land holdings.  

Joseph Cannon, Chief Surveyor to the Commissioners, said: "We are pleased to welcome John as a senior member of the Commissioners' property investment department. He has considerable experience of dealing with strategic land investment, and is both a professional surveyor and a planner. John will lead our internal and external professional teams in bringing forward our land holdings across the country, often for much needed new housing." 

John joins the Church Commissioners from Drivers Jonas Deloitte, which he joined in 2002.  He has led the company's Leeds office since 2007. He is a Bachelor of Land Management from the University of Reading and is both a Chartered Surveyor and a Chartered Town Planner. John is married with a son.  

John said: "I am very pleased to be joining such a worthwhile organisation with overall responsibility for promoting their extensive strategic land interests across the country.  The Church has a fascinating portfolio of strategic sites.  I am excited by the prospect of taking these sites through the planning process, to provide new homes and employment opportunities for the local communities concerned.”  

Information

Louis Henderson 020 7898 1326  

Notes for editors 

The Church Commissioners are responsible for managing a large portfolio of assets, a well diversified mixture of UK and global equities; urban and rural real estate, including holdings in managed property funds in the UK and overseas; bonds and cash; and loans for Church purposes. 

The Commissioners fund all clergy pensions earned before 1998. (Pensions earned since then are paid from the separate Funded Scheme, which is funded by contributions from dioceses and other Church bodies.) 

The Commissioners manage a closed fund with their expenditure being funded from the returns earned from investments under their stewardship.

Actuaries assess the Commissioners' fund in detail every three years (with yearly reviews) to advise on how much they can safely plan to spend. 

The Commissioners’ mission is to support the Church of England's ministry, particularly in areas of need and opportunity. Their main responsibilities are:

 - to obtain the best possible long term return from a diversified investment portfolio in order both to meet their pension commitments and to provide the maximum sustainable funding for their other purposes such as support for the work of bishops, cathedrals and parish ministry

- in doing so to pay particular regard to making “additional provision for the cure of souls in parishes where such assistance is most required”.

 - to administer the legal framework for pastoral reorganisation and settling the future of churches which have been closed for worship.