Expertise
Robert specialises in providing clear, practical solutions to clients’ real estate issues. He has specialised in commercial real estate for over thirty-five years and the ancillary commercial issues that arise. Robert is extremely focussed on working with clients to tune the finer details of what makes a project commercially viable. He predominantly advises on property acquisition and development, the management of property portfolios, their planning and development, funding, environmental issues and planning.
Experience Highlights
- Ports and Harbours, Refineries — Depots, Airport supply and Offices.
- Products — lubricants, commercial fuel sales, bunkering agreements, aviation supply agreements, Card Sales and fuel supply agreements to motorway service areas and forecourts through national dealer/retailer networks.
- Interface with management and projects in USA, Europe, Africa and Asia and other economies (for instance sale of Polish and Greek business).
- Managing Petrol Filling Station (PFS) purchase, sales and leasing through site swaps with other Oil companies and Retailing Groups with consequential agreements relating to fuel supply to no Texaco sites and vice versa through bulk site supply and distribution agreements.
- PFS site management including Health and Safety, Environmental Compliance — COMAH etc.
- Motorway Service Areas (MSA) — Site options, Planning documents and process as associated with obtaining permissions for operation, Highway agreements and signage, construction contracts, sale and leaseback arrangements and or major long term supply agreements.
- Commercial vehicle supply agreements, card facilities and bunkering agreements.
- Supply and incentive agreements with owner operated sites including supply agreements and relevant security measures according to stock payment terms.
- Authorised distributor agreements for commercial and domestic fuel.
- Monopoly issue associated with supply and Oil Company Undertakings subsequent to Public Inquiry
- Off Licences for PFS, COMAH.
- Site development of selected sites in major city centres — multi storey buildings providing key worker homes with ground floor convenience stores and adjacent PFS facilities.
- Operational management of active and non-active sites — litigation risk, pollution control compliance and risk, boundary/neighbour disputes, employee issues, squatters theft and arson.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and Authority
- Member of Strategy Group for Property acquisition policy for Metrolink Project dealing with acquisition from all parties, individuals, companies, 7 local authorities, Manchester Airport Group and Developers generally.
- Dealing with all aspects of land acquisition for Phases 1, 2 and 3 including Compulsory Purchase, purchase by consent under threat of CPO, obtaining land owners and developers capital contributions to the projects based on their own assets enhanced value due to presence of the new transport system.
- Dealing with Land Contributions by local Developers and integrating this value into the submissions to central government into the funding application.
- Acquiring rights for the construction of two new tram bridges over the Bridgewater and Manchester Ship Canal taking account of owner’s requirements, statute and consequential requirements of the Harbour Master.
- Oldham/Rochdale link — negotiations with Network rail for comprehensive transfer of heavy rail system to the PTE with consequential amendments to land holdings and signalling systems.
- Acquisition and construction issues arising for new station at Horwich Parkway dealing with Network Rail and owner of Horwich Out of Town Shopping complex adjacent to Bolton Football Club.
- Acquiring land from Scrap Metal dealer and providing new facilities in conjunction with Manchester City Council with consequential issues arising from site remediation and bad neighbour development at new site.
- Dealing with issues leading up to Commonwealth Games.
- Sale of entire Greater Manchester Bus operations to private sector.
- Sale of PTE head office building and relocation to New HQ as part of development of Piccadilly with Argent PLC through LLP and Limited Partnership structure.
- Work with Charterplan a company controlled by PTE in development proposals for land held surplus to operations.
Other items of note
- Working with Cloud Imperium Games from outset of the venture culminating recently in their acquisition of their new world HQ in Manchester
- Working with many Prominent and or HNWI individuals in relation to their personal affairs and business interests