Proving that sheer guts and great business acumen and not graduate parchments can make a great man puts Alan Cherry, chairman and founder of Countryside Properties in a unique league.

Born in Essex where he went to Wayfield School missing the 11-plus and a lot of schooling due to wartime activities never hindered Mr Cherry succeeding once out in the employment world.

He said:” I was one of six siblings and all of us had to work. I took a morning and evening paper round and the weekends were spent helping the milkman.

“I suppose I was a late developer and always showed a flair for maths, science and all things technical. After leaving school at 15 I started going to night school and knew then I wanted to be an architect. My studies also helped improve my English language skills.”

Mr Cherry was offered a job by Ilford Borough Council but turned it down and went to a firm of estate agents. He said this was more suited to his nature and he trained to be a chartered surveyor as an articled clerk passing by the age of 20.

National service followed with the Royal Engineers and this was a first connection with the Medway Towns passing out at Brompton Barracks. He never realised he’d be back and recalled how the dockyard was flourishing and the navy sill had a presence.

Returning to the firm of estate agents where his gavel had hammered out property lots in his first auction at 17, Mr Cherry found he was working with small developers. In 1958 he founded a new company with one of the agency’s sons whose surname was Eves and called it Bairstow Eves.

Mr Cherry went on:” It was then I started a small development company on my own whilst still MD of the other firm and in 1981 sold out my Bairstow shares to continue with Countryside which had built up.”

Like then as now there were recessions and Mr Cherry took those on the chin. He maintained the current situation is a downturn rather than a recession and the South East should historically fare better than the rest of the UK

He said:” Although they are very unwelcome, you learn more during a downturn. You learn to survive.

“Quality is always important and none more so than at these times. Then and now it made it easier to sell. In the early years quality was important to our company. Development is not just about building, but sustainable communities. We built the Greenwich Millennium Village and St Mary’s Island. In 1987 I remember standing where the universities’ campus is now and wondering what to do with all the land.

“It was then I formed a partnership with English Partnerships and currently with SEEDA. Chatham Maritime is a very good example of what regeneration is all about. It has had a great uplifting effect and led to further developments such as Rochester Riverside. Medway is very important and I can foresee us having a presence here in the future. The river has not been used to its potential and people like living alongside water. The history here is tremendous.

“When clearing St Mary’s Island lots more work was undertaken than originally understood. We wanted people to know what was going on and I can now say it is the healthiest place to live in the South East. Today my company is a leader in the whole expertise of sustainable development climate change and social sustainability.”

Mr Cherry didn't think 180,000 homes in the Thames Gateway over 20 years is over-development, but has to be carefully planned. Taking the area running from east London to Southend and to Faversham most development is on Brownfield land such as the mineral bearing areas at Kent Thameside and Barking Reach which will have 10,000 homes, formerly belonging to national power. There is little need to impinge on Greenfield.

The Thames Gateway parklands are being designed across all the green spaces and overall the landscape will change for the better. Mr Cherry backed architect Richard Rogers comments that the Gateway is a ‘shoddy toytown slum’.

He said:” I have worked with Richard Rogers and agreed with his comments. Some of the Gateway is characterless and lacks architectural quality

“My sites received recognition such as Waterstone Park, Dartford. I feel the standard design will improve."

The commercial designs have attracted a mixed reception, but Mr Cherry said that whilst they may not be iconic, big players have moved into these buildings. He sees the Ebbsfleet commercial potential of being the size of Canary Wharf as being outstanding. The value of Countryside today will exceed £6bn with an annual turnover of £500m.

Sons Graham and Richard are now in the business with the former as group chief, the latter deputy chairman For a company that floated on the stock market in 1972 and three years ago bought it back to the family and now employs 800 people and with subcontractors nearer 4000 Alan Cherry was an outstanding success story.