Overview

If you are developing, investing, occupying, funding or maintaining the built environment, from within the UK or offshore, our award-winning, multi-disciplinary sector group is here to support you.

With over 140 built environment lawyers, qualified to practice throughout the UK, including England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland we can advise wherever the location and whatever the scale of your project.

Advising on the full asset lifecycle, we are experienced in a range of industry sectors and asset types. Whether you’re operating within offices, industrial & logistics, retail, hotels, mixed-use regeneration, healthcare & retirement living, build to rent, student accommodation, life sciences or data centres, we have lawyers with specialist knowledge and understanding of the nuances of each asset class, helping to maximise the value of your project and protect it from risk.

Recognising that real estate and the wider built environment goes far beyond the individual assets, we also work hand-in-hand with our energy, net zero, transport, public sector and infrastructure sector groups to ensure your asset is protected for the future.

Who do we advise? We advise both the private and public sectors, including: institutions, sovereign wealth funds, private and listed propcos, developers, investors, fund managers, banks and other financial institutions, private individuals, contractors and consultants, occupiers, local authorities and central government.

Areas of focus

Our expertise in the built environment sector includes the following:

Experience

Investment & Capital Markets

A global sovereign wealth fund on its substantial portfolio of UK hotels.

Funds advised by Octopus Investments on the corporate acquisition of Elivia Homes.

Aerium Group providing legal advice in relation to its £500+ million UK wide real estate portfolio.

Acting for the shareholder of a specialist care provider on the sale of a £100 million portfolio of 16 residential care homes, 3 mental health hospitals and a further education college across England and Wales.

West Ranga on the simultaneous £24 million sale and leaseback of 5 Cazoo sites in the UK (4 in England and 1 in Scotland).

Zetland Capital on its acquisition of well-located hotels & leisure assets across the UK, including the £100+ million acquisition of the 338 bedroom Macdonald Manchester Hotel and the 156 bedroom Macdonald Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh and the £23 million purchase of a portfolio of 12 historic pubs in central London.

Development and Regeneration

St Modwen on the development of many of its industrial and logistics assets throughout the UK.

YOO Development Limited on a joint venture with Atenor and Ascendal Group Limited, for the regeneration of a 1.5-acre site in Westbourne Park, West London.

Greater London Authority on multiple housing-led/mixed-use redevelopment and regeneration projects worth many billions across London.

YTL on the redevelopment of Filton Airfield, the birthplace of Concorde. We advised on obtaining outline planning for 2,675 new homes, 62 acres of employment space, acres of parkland, new schools and education district and a thriving town-centre.

University of Bristol in relation to the development of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus Bristol, one of the largest single development projects in the South West.

Real Estate Finance

A US funder on the debt funding of a new 24,000 seat arena.

A UK housing developer as borrower on a £18 million development facility in relation to a residential housing project in Felixstowe.

MetLife on the debt funding provided for the refinance of two office properties in prime locations in Jersey’s financial district with a total value of over £131 million.

HSBC and RBS on a joint £180 million investment and development facility to a student accommodation provider.

Facilities Management

MoD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation on its £multi-billion programme to provide facilities management services across the MoD estate (including Built Estate; Training Estate; Housing Management and Maintenance and US Visiting Forces). This is believed to be one of the largest ever call-offs from a Crown Commercial Services framework.

DEFRA on its Workplace and Facilities Management Project, a long-term and complex programme (worth c.£770 million) to deliver FM services across Defra's diverse and strategically important estate.

FCDO on its procurement and mobilisation of a global Dynamic Purchasing System worth c.£1.5 billion for FM services across the FCDO’s global estate of over 5,000 properties, as well as competitions under that DPS for the Asia Pacific region and Europe.
Government Property Agency on its procurement of the Workplace Services Transformation Programme (a large, complex, multi-lot procurement to outsource FM arrangements).

Tenants & Corporate Occupiers

St James’s Place Wealth Management in relation to the occupation and management of St James’s Place’s UK-wide office portfolio. Including strategic asset management advice on exit from and acquisition of multiple leases.

Beauty Pie on its acquisition of new HQ office space at Colegrave House, 70 Berners Street. London. Beauty Pie, the first luxury beauty buyers’ club, has taken its new office space, by way of an underlease from Gamesys Group. The team supported Beauty Pie in both the real estate and construction aspects of its move.

Virgin in relation to management of Virgin’s UK property portfolio, including advice on the company’s exit from The Battleship Building, Paddington and 66 Porchester Road to move to its new HQ at Whitfield Studios, Fitzrovia.

King & Wood Mallesons on the lease of the 11th floor of 20 Fenchurch Street (the Walkie Talkie), along with fit out licence, construction advice and collateral warranty pack in relation to fit out, wayleave agreement and other ancillary documents.

Meet the team
Ross Polkinghorne

Ross Polkinghorne Partner

  • Built Environment
  • Development and Regeneration
  • Infrastructure
Richard Adams

Richard Adams Partner

  • Construction and Engineering
  • Construction Disputes
  • Energy and Utilities Disputes
Katie Allen

Katie Allen Partner

  • Real Estate Finance
  • Hotels
  • Banking and Finance
Michael Barlow

Michael Barlow Partner

  • Head of Environment
  • Head of Water
  • Head of ESG
Philip Beer

Philip Beer Partner

  • Real Estate
  • Transport
  • Energy and Utilities
Paul Browne

Paul Browne Partner

  • Head of International Trade
  • Real Estate
  • Nuclear
Andrew-Burnette---PGP_3989

Andrew Burnette Partner

  • Dispute Resolution
  • Professional Negligence
  • Banking Disputes
Headshot of Rohan Campbell

Rohan Campbell Partner

  • Real Estate Finance
  • Banking and Finance
  • Real Estate 
Ian Carnochan

Ian Carnochan Partner

  • Tax
  • Corporate Tax
  • Real Estate Tax
Richard Clark partner

Richard Clark Partner

  • Offices
  • Retail Property
  • Industrial and Logistics
Dominic Davis

Dominic Davis Partner

  • Corporate
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Joint Ventures
Elizabeth Dunn

Elizabeth Dunn Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Infrastructure
  • Real Estate
Tom Dunn

Tom Dunn Partner

  • Head of Regulated Funds and Financial Services
  • Regulated Funds
  • Financial Services
Andrew Eaton

Andrew Eaton Partner

  • Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency
  • Private Equity
  • Banking and Finance
Jessica Evans

Jessica Evans Partner

  • Construction Disputes
  • Energy and Utility Disputes
  • PFI/PPP Disputes
Emma Folkes

Emma Folkes Partner

  • Head of Rural Property
  • Estates and Land
  • Food and Farming
Robert Forman

Robert Forman Partner

  • Head of Scottish Real Estate 
  • Real Estate Advisory
  • Real Estate Investment
Michael Hayles

Michael Hayles Partner

  • Pensions
  • Public Sector Pension Schemes
  • Financial Services
James Horton

James Horton Partner

  • Construction and Engineering
  • Energy and Utilities 
  • Infrastructure
John Houlden

John Houlden Partner

  • Head of Public Sector
  • Head of Procurement and Subsidy Control
  • Projects
Steven James

Steven James Partner

  • Construction and Engineering 
  • Energy and Utilities
  • Construction Disputes
Sally Jupp

Sally Jupp Partner

  • Real Estate Finance
  • Corporate Turnaround and Insolvency
  • Real Estate Investment and Development
Richard Leeming

Richard Leeming Partner

  • Banking and Trade Finance
  • Derivatives, Debt Capital Markets and Securitisations
  • Real Estate Finance
Claire MacLean

Claire MacLean Partner

  • Real Estate 
  • Real Estate Advisory
  • Real Estate Investment
Headshot of Adrian Martin

Adrian Martin Partner

  • Head of Employment
  • TUPE: Business Transfers and Outsourcing
  • Restructuring and Redundancy
Stuart McMillan

Stuart McMillan Partner

  • Head of Infrastructure
  • Banking and Finance
  • Energy finance
Richard Owen

Richard Owen Partner

  • Landowner
  • Bona Vacantia and Escheat
  • Real Estate
Chris Preston

Chris Preston Partner

  • Real Estate Disputes
  • Real Estate Development
  • Telecommunications
Matthew Ramus

Matthew Ramus Partner

  • Head of Education
  • Defence
  • Transport
Richard Read

Richard Read Partner

  • Head of Real Estate
  • International Real Estate
  • Hotels, Leisure and Tourism
Ross Simpson

Ross Simpson Partner

  • Real Estate
  • Estates and Land
  • Food and Farming
Matthew Sims

Matthew Sims Partner

  • Real Estate Services
  • Retail
  • Real Estate
Graham Soar

Graham Soar Partner

  • Banking and Finance
  • Derivatives, Debt Capital Markets and Securitisations
  • Project Finance
Gary Soloman

Gary Soloman Partner

  • Head of Planning and Compulsory Purchase
  • Regeneration and Highways
  • Compulsory Purchase and Compensation
James Sutherland

James Sutherland Partner

  • Head of Real Estate Disputes
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Professional Negligence
Rupert Weston

Rupert Weston Partner

  • Corporate
  • Hotels
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
Craig Whelton

Craig Whelton Partner

  • Scottish Planning 
  • Energy and Utilities 
  • Compulsory Purchase and Compensation
Headshot of Laura Wisdom

Laura Wisdom Partner

  • Public Sector
  • Defence
  • Procurement
Will Woodall

Will Woodall Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Infrastructure
  • Healthcare
Headshot of Paul Clark

Paul Clark Director

  • Real Estate
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Scottish Real Estate
Anna Davis

Anna Davis Director

  • Financial Services
  • Life and Pensions
  • Regulated Funds
Paul Doherty

Paul Doherty Director

  • Healthcare
  • Energy and Utilities
  • Retail
Will Hall

Will Hall Director

  • Real Estate Services
  • Real Estate Investment 
  • Real Estate Finance
Amy McVey

Amy McVey Director

  • Banking and Finance 
  • Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency
  • Real Estate Finance 
Amy Simpson

Amy Simpson Director

  • Real Estate Services
  • Real Estate Investment 
  • Real Estate Development 
Nia Stewart profile image

Nia Stewart Director

  • Construction and Engineering
  • Public Sector
  • Education
Sarah Sutherland 250x250px dpi originals

Sarah Sutherland Practice Development Lawyer

  • Planning and Compulsory Purchase
Headshot of Tom Weld

Tom Weld Director

  • Construction and Engineering
  • Construction Disputes
  • Construction Procurement

Built Environment

The firm since taking on the instruction have been excellent. They have excelled at fee / budget management; communication, client management and interpersonal skills; commercial minded in negotiations, deal doers not blockers; and technology is top level. The firm is real estate focused and you can tell in their approach and expertise. It has been a breath of fresh air working with them, in what we hope will be a long and fruitful partnership.

Legal 500 2022

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