Who We Are
Father and son Philip and Mark Walton, and son-in-law, Richard Ponton created Sea Island Developments to build high quality homes for older people who need purpose-built housing and personalised support to live their lives to the full.
The inspiration for Sea Island came from Philip’s experience of organising care and support for his wife Diane in the last years of her life. Philip and Mark were profoundly affected by the challenge of adapting accommodation and managing care to ensure that Diane could continue to lead the best possible quality of life.
The knowledge, experience and resources that enabled them to turn their vision for Sea Island into reality came from their track records as successful entrepreneurs and business owners. Philip established McKenzie as an international clothing brand which is still sold in eighteen countries and Mark has developed Walton Robinson as a leading property development consultancy in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Sea Island is founded on core values of care and respect for the individual as well as wide-ranging business and property expertise. It is a family business which takes pride in listening to what clients want and then focusing single-mindedly on making it happen.
When you talk to Sea Island you will engage directly with Mark Walton as Managing Director and Richard Ponton as Investment Director. This means that making decisions and getting things done is quicker and easier than in more complex organisations.
“Everybody deserves to be in their own home. This should be a right regardless of their means” ~ Mark Walton, Managing Director.
Our Story
Philip and Mark continued to expand their property development business creating new residential and retail opportunities. However, on reflection they realised that they wanted to do more than simply transact commercial opportunities – they wanted to achieve something that mattered to them personally.
The recent death of Diane – Philip’s wife and Mark’s mother – had a powerful and enduring influence on their personal values and objectives. When Diane knew that she was in the last stage of her life, she was determined, notwithstanding the challenges, to continue to live in her own home and in her own way. The risk of being cared for away from her home was something that she and her family wanted to avoid at all costs.
The challenge of turning this aspiration into a practical reality inspired their vision for Sea Island Developments – providing homes for life which can meet changing and potentially complex needs. And so, in Diane’s case, her home was changed around her to ensure that she continued to live her life in her own private space surrounded by the people who mattered to her most.
As Mark says, “Everybody deserves to be in their own home. This should be a right regardless of their means”. The imagination and quality of Sea Island’s specification and design for extra care housing reflect the family’s heartfelt commitment to this ambition.
Our Team
Richard Ponton
Investment Director
Richard is Investment Director at Sea Island Developments.
Phil Walton
Chief Executive
Phil is co-founder and Chief Executive of Sea Island Developments.
Mark Walton
Managing Director
Mark is co-founder and Managing Director of Sea Island Developments.