Client-focussed service from an experienced, commercial team.
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Our commercial real estate team is comprised of lawyers with vast experience and a comprehensive knowledge of commercial property law and practice.
Summary
Commercial Real Estate requires an entrepreneurial approach and the confidence to act with authority. Our lawyers are all experts, with over 10,000 hours of practice before joining, giving them a deep knowledge in their field. We encourage a commercial approach in every lawyer, so they will deliver better results for you — including flexible fee structures with complete transparency.
We act for a diverse range of clients, including institutional and individual investors, commercial and residential developers, and insolvency professionals. We also work with corporate landlords and tenants, and both public and private companies with differing property requirements.
Our Real Estate team has a wealth of experience in dealing with all aspects of the acquisition, disposal, letting, finance, development and on-going management, occupation and ownership of all types of real estate assets and investments. We also work together with other specialist departments within gunnercooke to provide a fully integrated legal service to our clients.
Our aim is to develop a long-term relationship with each of our clients and to become a trusted advisor. In fact, our clients have rated us with an NPS score of +87, placing us at the highest end of global law companies in recognition of excellent client service. We offer a ‘hands-on’ approach, which means that our clients can focus on their business, with comfort that their transaction is in the safe hands of a partner with a genuine understanding of their commercial requirements and approach.
Notable matters
- Acting for Inspire Hotels Limited on the £10 purchase of a well-known historic hotel in the English Lake District.
- Acting for Amphitryon Leisure Limited on the acquisiton of the Wensleydale Hotel, Leyburn, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, including the TUPE transfer of staff and a mortgage to the commercial funder, NatWest.
- Advising Avail on all aspects of the construction, property law and real estate assistance needed to manage its property portfolio.
- Acting for The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited in the £120m sale of Bath Road Retail Park Slough to SEGRO, a major neighbouring landowner.
- Advising on the re-finance of a large property portfolio for a registered charity to facilitate further investment and funding for the progression of the charity’s projects
- Acting for a property developer and investor on the acquistion of a former hotel under a conditional contract, with plans for redevelopment into assisted living
- Advising on the sale of current industrial unit and the lease of a new industrial unit incorporating an option to acquire the freehold of the site in the near future
- Acting for a strategic land company on the sale to Redrow Homes of a 93-acre site in Thanet adjacent to the former Manston Airport which has outline consent for up to 785 homes.
- Advising the administrators of peer-to-peer (crowdfunding) loan platform Business Loan Network Limited, with 164 loans outstanding with an aggregate value of £45m to recover.
- Acting on the purchase of 177 Bothwell Street for financial services client Evelyn Partners, the largest prime rent Grade A office letting in Glasgow in 2022. Advising Wilson Bowden on an option and promotion agreement for (subject to planning) a strategic commercial (warehouse, distribution, manufacturing) and residential site comprising over 436 acres on a site at Royston, Hertfordshire.
- Advising on the procurement of development finance for the redevelopment of the former Debenhams department store known as the Drapery Building Northampton to comprise a mixed-use student / retail scheme.
- Advising Garner Holdings in respect of the acquisition (subject to planning) of a manufacturing and warehouse site comprising approximately 65 acres adjacent to the M1 at Annesley Nottinghamshire.
- Advising William Davis on an acquisition, subject to planning via options, on more than 90 acres of prime residential land at sites in prime East Midlands locations comprising Matlock Derbyshire, Barrowby Grantham, and Wellingborough Northamptonshire.
- Acting for Bedford Estates on a number of estate management transactions including deeds of surrender, letting advice and licences.
- Acting on the promotion and option agreement in respect of over 130 acres of land adjacent to the A5 in the East Midlands which, subject to planning, is proposed to be developed by Wilson Bowden to comprise in excess of 1.5 m sq feet of warehouse, distribution and manufacturing space.
- Advising on the acquisition and completion on a phased basis of 10 warehouse / industrial units comprising 372,000 sq ft over 4 development sites at Willow Farm and Optimus Point Leicestershire, Blenheim park Nottingham and Kingsway Business Park Rochdale.
- Acting on the acquisition and redevelopment of a listed Mill in Lichfield, Tamworth for conversion into 51 apartments and 11 town houses.
- Acting for Brookland Group on the acquisition and finance of a redevelopment site in SW London.
- Advising a logistics company client on the agreement for lease and subsequent lease for 65,000 sq ft of logistics space that was under development
- Acted for Cockpit Arts, an award-winning high-profile incubator hub for makers and designers, advising on a major proposed circa £175k pa redevelopment of their Holborn site by London Borough of Camden, working with client trustees who are mostly high-profile regeneration advisers, including from London Mayoral office and advisers on the Olympic Park.
- Advised Jigsaw on their new lease of a prominent store on Kings Road, Chelsea — a key site for Jigsaw, replacing their former Kings Road store at The Chapel, which had been one of the highest performing stores in their portfolio for many years.
- Dealt with a new letting in prestigious Stonegate in York for the client, Berry’s Jewellers, at a rent of £90,000 for 10 years; also dealt with the purchase of some prime retail real estate in Nottingham City Centre for the sum of £850,000, comprising two retail units on long leases.
- Acted on the acquisition of prime residential development land and strategic land portfolio comprising 725 acres in over 40 locations in the East Midlands from regional house builder W Westerman.
- Acted on a matter (£3.2m rent with £20m+ developed value) relates to a letting of 500,000 sq ft of space at Denby Business Park for use as warehouse / industrial accommodation.
- Acted on the acquisition of two sites at Lenton and Blidworth Nottinghamshire, with £20m+ developed value, on the development of social housing and disposal of the same to Nottingham Community Housing Association (‘NCHA’).
- Advised the client, William Davis Ltd, on an acquisition through company purchases and land options of land at Anstey Leicestershire, comprising over 120 acres which is to be developed for a 500+ plot residential development subject to planning.
- Acted on the acquisition of two sites adjacent to the Station in Chesterfield and subject to planning the £42m development of the sites to comprise approx. 350 residential units for Build to Rent and Social Housing.
- Advised on the acquisition of 185,000 sq ft £28m industrial facility on a 14-acre plot at Infinity Park Derby by way of a forward funding commitment.
- Acted on a matter involving the £25m development of a 222 apartment / studio student scheme adjacent to Nottingham Units Jubilee campus.
- Acted on the acquisition and forward funding of 372,000 sq ft of warehouse / industrial comprising 10 units over 4 development sites at Willow Farm and Optimus Point Leicestershire, Blenheim Park Nottingham and Kingsway Business Park Rochdale — the units to range between 18,000 sq ft and 81,000 sq ft.
- Advised on the redevelopment of the former Debenhams department store (known as the Drapery Building) Northampton to comprise a mixed-use student / retail scheme with 201 studios and retail space on the ground floor.
- Represented the landowner, English Will Trust of the Rt Hon Olive Countess Fitzwilliam, on the acquisition by Option from BMBC of Phase 2 land at Junction 36, M1, Hoyland, South Yorkshire — the Hermes distribution centre on Plot 1 is the biggest online retail distribution centre of its kind in Europe with a combined GDV of £123.6m.
- Instructed by the client, Keills Property Trust, as lead on a £multi-million sale of 9 investment assets (6 in England, 1 in Wales and 2 in Scotland) by individual and portfolio sales and liquidation of Trust following death of one of founders.
- Led on the exchange and stage one completion of a £multi-million acquisition and development of NHS Old Fulwood Road Campus for creation of high value detached townhouse and apartment accommodation, including conversion of existing 130+ units Fulwood House.
- Advised on a roll out of restaurant chain growth for LFR Leisure Limited trading as Pizza Punks / Mamasan during pandemic to take advantage of market conditions; provided ongoing pandemic rent holiday advice on existing units and concession agreements.
- Led on the £multi-million development funding and development agreement with West Dunbartonshire Council as funding conduit for Scottish Ministers relative to rejuvenation of former Buchanan Oils oil storage depot and River Clyde Quay.
- Led on the £multi-million purchase and funding of acquisition from AVIVA of Norwich House, Guildford (an existing retail and office building) for conversion to retail with flats above.