Commercial Real Estate

The Commercial Real Estate group has acted widely for US and European companies and their UK subsidiaries, in relation to UK real estate acquisitions, disposals and development projects.

Examples of work undertaken are as follows:

USA

• Advising a US healthcare provider which won one of the first UK Government contracts to construct a diagnostic treatment centre under the PPP/PFI scheme. The work extended to funding, construction, property and planning.
• Representing a US real estate investment trust as the JV partner in numerous transactions, including major development projects such as a Biomedical Campus in the East of England.
• Representing a major US pharmaceutical business in the acquisition and refurbishment of precision manufacturing premises.
• Assisting a US corporation engaged in the oil business in the acquisition of a number of offshore oil tanks, with according environmental and regulatory issues.
• Advising a US corporation in the complex disposal of a brownfield site in the north of England, involving advice on key environmental issues.
• Representing a US manufacturer in the acquisition of an environment remediation and scrap business in the north east of England.

Europe

• Acting for a major German manufacturer in the movement of the main headquarters for one of its divisions to a new greenfield site, involving negotiations with both the relevant landowners and the local regional development agency.
• Representing a major Dutch-centred manufacturing multi-national in its UK property portfolio including disposals, landlord and tenant work and environmental issues.
• Acting for the French Government as tenant in a number of London based properties.
• Advising numerous UK subsidiaries of a major French manufacturing business in the acquisition of new office space and strategic land disposal.
• Assisting a UK property developer in its acquisition of two shopping centres in Germany.
• Representing a UK developer in the development of a new town centre in Romania.
• Advising Jersey and Gibraltar based trust companies on their UK property portfolios.