We are the sole property legal advisors to The Royal Parks, the charity responsible for HM The King’s Royal Parks.  In 2023, we dealt with over 50 matters relating to some of the City’s most significant real estate including Admiralty Arch, The Mall, St James’s Park, Green Park, Horse Guards Parade and The Lake and Blue Bridge.  Cases include securing events licences for the Parks to host key events like the London Marathon, Winter Wonderland and Hyde Park BST – which will see the Kings of Leon, Andrea Boccelli, Robbie Williams, Shania Twain, Kylie Minogue and more play there.

We are advising Habitat for Humanity and their retail arm ReStore on their store roll out in the UK. This project is large in scale – with over 100 stores being opened across the UK by the end of 2026 the key objective. In 2023, we advised and negotiated on the first three leases for stores in London.

We are advising Smiggle on their strategic expansion programme, delivering hundreds of new stores across England, Wales and Scotland. In 2023, we drafted, negotiated and completed 36 new leases at locations across London and nationally.

We are the sole property lawyers to Natural England and their mission to protect and restore the UK’s wildlife, nature and biodiversity. We have included this example because the work is always complex, niche and important in its purpose. For example, in 2023 we advised on the acquisition of multiple stretches of land via freehold purchase and lease hold to help Natural England create or manage nature reserves, moors, wetlands, lakes and other biodiversity boosting schemes.  We also continue to advise on Natural England’s operational estate, including negotiating and completing leases for offices and other buildings nationwide.

We advised the Medical Research Foundation (MRF) on the lease of their new London HQ in Barbican, London.  MRF is famous for its ground-breaking research on Covid-19 – including investigating treatments and informing the NHS on the effect of the disease – has shaped many countries responses to the pandemic.   We are negotiating and completing the lease for an entire floor (21,500sqft) of a prominent building in Barbican.  The matter was complicated at the last moment by the landlords insistence on a break clause.  We successful overcame this and completed the lease on time.

We advised National Highways on over 300 matters in the last 12 months, covering their road and operational estate which is valued at over £3billion.  We have included this matter as it demonstrates our ability to advise on one of the largest estates in the UK, covering all types of real estate corporate occupier law including leases, acquisitions, disposals and more niche issues, e.g. protecting badger sets, registering historically significant buildings and more.  We have also secured new offices across the UK for National Highways, including a high-profile state-of-the-art, 30,000sqft innovation centre, which was being pushed over the line by the Prime Minister’s office.

We are advising a new start-up Gym business, started by a former Director of a European leisure giant, on their first UK based gym – a 40,000sqft gym in Merry Hill, West Midlands.  We are their sole property lawyers, with a rapid UK expansion programme set to occur in 2024.  We are negotiating and completing the lease of this new gym, and advising on some complex arrangements relating to their German arm.

we advised Fujifilm on its new strategic headquarters in Bedford, consolidating their offices into one.  This was a pre-let deal, a development lead by the occupier.  We successfully acted on behalf of Fujifilm, securing a tenancy for 15 years at £550,000 per year.  This included advice on the construction elements, lease of the building as well as planning and building permissions.

We are advising the Florence Nightingale Trust on a new lease for their Museum, based at Guys and St Thomas Hospital in London.

We are advising National Highways on the Lower Thames Crossing development, which will be the longest road tunnel in the UK – stretching 2.5miles underneath the South side of the River Thames.  This year we advised on the acquisition of Southern Valley Golf Club.  This included advising on possession, the possibility of purchasing the whole concern (including the Golf Company), negotiating the contract and transfer, producing the title report overage issues, as well as the termination of hire and leasing arrangements.

We are advising UCLan on their development of a new 45,000sqft veterinary school at their main campus.  We are advising on all aspects of this development, this has included the development agreement, JCT contracts, restrictive covenants, reports on title as well as adverse possession.

We continue to advise Woking Borough Council on their £700million+ regeneration of Sheerwater, a suburb of Woking, Surrey.  We are helping the Council to develop 1,200 new homes, a new leisure centre, a new ‘town centre’, lots of green space and all the infrastructure to connect it.   This year, this has included advising the council on an equity share agreement due to financial pressures.

We are advising Chelmsford City Council on the proposed development of a new railway station in Essex.  We have been asked to transfer land ownership to Network Rail via several complex option agreements, with land to be transferred back to the Council once the development has been completed.

We are advising The Royal Parks on the different elements of the City of Westminster’s ‘Streetscape’ development project – a wide-ranging development will see public realm streetscape improvements across the urban core of the City of Westminster, stretching from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Westminster Bridge in the east, and Trafalgar Square in the north to Abingdon Street in the south. The proposed works are predominantly focussed upon public footpaths and carriageways.  Our work has involved negotiating licences and agreements with the Council, particularly in relation to Hyde Park and St George’s.

We are advising the Council on the multimillion-pound development of a bridge over a railway line.  Our role is to deliver the necessary three-way development agreement between the Council, KBC developments and Network Rail.  This is a complex piece of work.

We advised National Highways on many matters clast year relating to their road and operational estate which is valued at over £3billion.  The most significant project was the development of the A66 trans-Pennine link, which is a key route between north-eastern England, Scotland and Northern-Ireland.  We have advised on strategic work, land acquisition work and more.

We are providing ongoing legal advice and support for Habitat for Humanity’s Empty Spaces to Homes Project.  The project aims to turn derelict commercial spaces across the UK (and Europe) into high-quality affordable housing for those in need.  We have provided strategic and policy advice, advised on property transfers as well as the new Biodiversity Net Gain rules in support of the project.

we are advising The Royal Parks on the Palace of Westminster Restorations.  This year, this has included advice on works licences as well as retention licences.  The matters were complicated by the London County Council (Improvements) Act 1900, the sensitivity of the site including trees which have Tree Preservation Orders as well as an UXO (unexploded bomb) survey.

We advised St Helens Council on their strategy to transform thousands of derelict/unused properties into new high-quality affordable homes as part of their attempts to end their homelessness/affordable homes crisis.  This has included advice on acquisitions of the properties as well as their landlord and tenant powers.

We are advising Skanska and MOD in respect of a major residential development.  Situated on the site of the former Princess Royal Barracks, Mindenhurst will offer 1,200 new homes and essential local amenities including a new primary school, retail outlets, sports facilities, business premises and over 69 hectares of public green space.  This has included advising on deeds of grants, deregistration, easements as well as wayleaves.

We are advising the Council on this £1billion+ project – extending the town of Chippenham.  We have advised the Council on their strategy to deliver this project, the Compulsory Purchase Order, and the public law elements required to deliver this (e.g. ensuring the Council are working within their powers – avoiding potential judicial review action).

We are advising Surrey County Council on the £500million expansion of Shepperton Studios, which would make it the second largest film studio in the world.  We have advised on all elements of this project, including delivering the complex planning agreements needed to deliver it (taking into account the various new road schemes etc that would be needed to support this venture).

We are advising FTSE 250 company Primary Health Properties on the management of their portfolio which includes 521 (and counting) primary health properties, valued at £2.8bn across the UK.  For example, we advised on several of their investment properties including drafting, negotiating and completing leases to private healthcare providers, with a vaule to Primary Health Properties in excess of £30m.

We are property legal advisors to the City based investors Merchant Land, who own a portfolio of offices and flats in prime London locations including 30 Grays Inn Road, 63/65 Charlotte Street and more.  Typically the value of the projects is between £5m-£15m  We have advised them on acquisitions, leases, refinancing issues and redevelopment work.

We are the sole property lawyers to Plato Estates, a UK based property investment company that specialises in petrol station investments, a niche area of property investment.  We advise on all of their acquisitions and subsequent portfolio management work – which also includes leases, adverse possession cases, complex title issues and more.  For example, this year we have advised on boundary disputes, the acquisition of key sites such as retail premises and parts of a service station.  The collective value of the work we have done exceeds £20million.

We advised on the acquisition of 2 industrial estates, Fenton in Stoke on Trent and Astmoor in Runcorn, Cheshire.  The industrial estates had over 40 leases, and span over 170,000sq ft. Our commercial property team advised on the full spectrum of real estate issues including refinancing, preparing lease reports, reviewing tenancy agreements as well as carrying out the purchases.