Brian Tanner spent eleven years in commercial banking specialising in the property sector, including Abbey National, First National Finance Corporation, Old Broad Street Securities and UDT.

In the early 90’s, Tanner purchased the Royal Naval Hospital at Stonehouse, Plymouth, in competitive tender with the Peaston Group, from the MOD. Their successful bid in 1993 saw Tanner embark on the regeneration of 650,000 sq ft of largely Grade I listed buildings in the heart of one the most deprived electoral wards in the UK.

The successful regeneration saw part of the site converted to re-house a nationally known private school, 120 mixed residential units, 250,000 sq ft of B1 and B2, along with a police station and a local authority business start-up unit.

This led to the acquisition (in 1994) of the much larger former Royal Naval Engineering College at Manadon, Plymouth, which was broken up into a series of residential developments whilst retaining much of its parkland setting.

In 1996 Tanner joined forces with Speciality Shops plc, acquiring a seven acre site in Norwich where they also master planned 42 acres of local authority land. Planning permission was secured on their site for a mixed scheme of 350,000 sq ft, and their overall masterplan was adopted by the local authority and acted as the stimulus for the regeneration of this run-down waterside town centre location.

Between 1999-2001 Tanner entered into a joint venture partnership with Leisure Express Ltd which has resulted in them developing several new Express by Holiday Inn branded hotels at Southampton, Maidstone, Hemel Hempstead, Cambridge and Swindon.

Tanner is now concentrating his efforts in development through Wharfside Regeneration and sees his partnership with Oxley as a vehicle for successful town centre urban regeneration projects. Transforming run down inner town centres into modern lively environments excites him.