Corporate Real Estate

Working closely with the firm's first class Corporate and Tax teams, the Property department is well placed to act pragmatically and efficiently on complex acquisitions and disposals of land bank SPVs and corporate entities. The department also acts for receivers and liquidators in the property aspects of corporate restructuring and recovery matters.

For more details please contact Gordon Aitken, Head of Department.

Development

The key aim for any developer is to ensure that the site it has identified will be suitable for the purpose envisaged, and will reach its maximum potential. Our clients who specialise in development require specific advice to ensure that, before they commit to a development programme, their sites are free from title issues which would cause complications at later date. We have extensive experience in site assembly work, for both residential and retail or industrial purposes, and we strive to provide positive solutions to any issues which arise. Our team currently acts for some of the UK's leading commercial, industrial, residential and mixed-use developers on projects across the country.

We can also work with our clients to identify development partners and, in conjunction with our Construction Department colleagues, advise our clients on development agreements for both major and small scale developments.

Developers often make use of option agreements, in order to give them a foothold in future negotiations for the purchase of land which might come within required planning uses in the future. We have experience of acting for both developers and landowners in preparing option agreements, and can provide detailed advice on the considerations for such agreements, tailored to the specific nature of each transaction.

For more details please contact Gordon Aitken, Head of Department.

Joint Ventures

A transaction can often result from a joint venture between different parties, who have identified a way to combine their experience or assets in such a way as to maximise the potential for a site. We can advise on all aspects of such transactions, from the general property work required for such transactions, to the drafting of joint venture agreements (in conjunction with our Corporate Department colleagues). We also work closely with our Tax colleagues on these transactions.

For more details please contact Gordon Aitken, Head of Department.

Leasing

We have extensive experience in acting for landlords, from institutional investors to individuals with small property portfolios, and also for tenants, both in the negotiation of new leases and also in the review of existing lease arrangements in investment purchases.

A landlord's basic aim (especially in investment properties) is for the rental stream to be continuous, and for there to be little or no requirement for the landlord to be involved in the property.

A tenant's basic aim is to try to minimise their obligations under the lease as much as possible, and to ensure that their liabilities are as certain as possible, with no nasty surprises lurking.

We work to ensure that these basic aims are achieved for our clients.

For more details please contact Gordon Aitken, Head of Department.

Planning & Environmental

With lawyers specialising exclusively in these areas, we can provide expert advice in all aspects of planning and environmental law. Areas of particular strength are planning applications/appeals, enforcement notice appeals, local plan inquiries, inquiry advocacy, judicial review actions, Section 75 and other legal agreements, compulsory purchase/compensation, infrastructure projects, environmental due diligence/warranties, contaminated land, water pollution, waste management and IPC/IPPC authorisations.

The firm recognises that the complexities of planning and environmental law, particularly with the volume of new regulation emanating from Westminster, Holyrood and Brussels, are such that the needs of clients are no longer met simply by treating both areas of the law as adjuncts to our commercial property practice. Our integrated Planning & Environmental Department handles stand-alone instructions as well as providing an assist function for other departments within the firm.

Operating on a UK wide basis, our major clients include Aggregate Industries, ASDA, Barratt Developments, British Waterways, Cable & Wireless, Cala, Capital & Regional, Clydeport, Gladedale Group, Hallam Land Management, Miller Group, Muir Group, Norwich Union, Schlumberger, Stagecoach, Stewart Milne Group, Taylor Wimpey, Tiger Developments, Walker Group and Wiseman Dairies.

Property Investment & Funds

The department acts for a number of high profile property investment funds and companies, and pension funds, and has wide ranging experience of the particular requirements of these clients. It advises on all aspects of real estate investment including:

• acquisitions 
• disposals 
• tax-driven investments 
• joint ventures 
• complex and high-value leasing

For more details please contact Gordon Aitken, Head of Department.

Property Litigation

Disputes happen. And the property world is no exception. In recognition of that, we have a specialist Property Litigation Team, headed by Ewan Easton, to assist and advise clients who find themselves faced with a dispute.

The team act on behalf of commercial landlords and tenants in issues spanning from landlords' consent to arrears recovery, keep open clauses to irritancy procedure; on behalf of vendors and purchasers of property in relation to, for example, disputed contract terms and valuations. As such, the team has gained a great deal of experience advising in a broad range of property based disputes, building up a solid working knowledge of the property world in the process.

The focus of the team is on achieving fast, effective and practical solutions. Whilst that often involves seeking to resolve issues without resort to the Courts, where that is unavoidable, we work regularly with the Commercial Court in the Court of Session and local Sheriff Courts. The team is also well versed in representing clients in Commercial Mediation.

For more details please contact Ewan Easton.

Residential Development

The firm's specialist Housebuilder Unit provides a full range of property services to house builders and landowners, including advice on strategic options, consortium agreements, conditional offers etc and plot sales.

For more details please contact John Sinclair or Sarah Peock

Retail

We act for several landlords of major shopping centres, and have experience ranging from the construction and pre-let stage of a new shopping centre, through to the day to day management issues which can arise.

We also act for many major national retailers. These clients often have specific requirements which must be met in order to ensure that the operation of their business is as uniform as possible. We work closely with these clients, in order to not only understand their requirements, but also to achieve them.

For more details please contact Gordon Aitken, Head of Department.

Sales & Purchases

The department is able to deal with all levels of transactions involving the sale and acquisition of property, and has been involved in numerous major transactions.

For more details please contact Gordon Aitken.

Green Leases

With climate change issues dominating the environmental agenda and current climate change legislation, policy and Government consultation directed specifically at the property sector our English Property team has set up a innovative cross-practice team specialising in a bespoke 'green lease' product for pre-let and speculative 'green' building developments.

A 'green lease' is a lease between the landlord and tenant of a 'green', or perhaps ultimately, zero carbon building which incorporates legally binding obligations on both the landlord and tenant to achieve environmentally sustainable development objectives.

For more details please contact David FitzGerald