Development

Having worked in the sector since the '80s our property team is one of the UK’s most experienced, bringing vast sector knowledge, commerciality, pragmatism and a solution-focused approach to individual property transactions through to complex, multi-million pound regeneration schemes.

Far from just a transactional service provider, we work with developing RPs proactively to appraise options and anticipate issues so that budgets can be fixed, viability and sustainability crystallized and crucial decisions made before a spade hits the ground.

And, as the financial realities of the changing sector bite and the political agenda shifts towards home-ownership and development-for-sale, our expert team can support you through the challenges, opportunities and risks that come with increased commercial development - from land acquisition right through to the final sale. 

Recent matters

• Advising a housing group on a complex land purchase consisting of many titles with various issues around rights of way and restrictive covenants. We negotiated and put in place a ‘deed of extinguishment’ so the site could be developed free of these covenants, a ‘deed of release’ for existing rights of way, and granted new access rights to adjoining owners over a relocated access road.
• Advising a Lancashire-based RP on a complex land purchase to provide 74 properties. The land is part-owned by the local authority, part-owned by the Diocese of Liverpool (who want to retain part of the land for a vicarage), and subject to restrictive covenants that require a ‘deed of release’ from the beneficiary of the covenants. The matter is complicated by a range of issues we are advising the client on, including further covenants in favour of unknown third parties (and associated indemnity insurance), third-party drainage rights, access rights for fishing, and third-party access rights to an unknown destination.
• Instructed by a Manchester based RP on a stock charging project with a facility value of £30m on 700 properties across the North West. We provided advice on insurance based solutions due to numerous good leasehold titles and absentee landlords, and agreed with the bank to limit searches to save costs.
• Advising a 40,000-unit housing group on the property element of their Assets & Liabilities Register as part of HCA regulatory requirements. The matter involves a review of all titles together with legal opinion on risk rating for disposal and charging purposes. We advised on title issues exposed by the due diligence undertaken and strategic assessment of S106 agreements/release of covenants and third party consents. We also advised on use of land registry title services, strategic use of searches and block discounts to help reduce costs for the client.