Examples of our work

Consortium of landowners
The sale of a 10 acre development site where the landowners had obtained outline planning permission for 140 houses.  An initial tender process resulted in an offer being accepted but the purchaser did not exchange.  Another purchaser was found and contracts exchanged in April for several millions.  Completion was due to take place at the end of October but the purchaser sought a variation of the terms to defer completion until 2009.  This was agreed, after advice from us and the selling agent, and a variation was completed.  We had to give advice to the client on the process of enforcing the original agreement and the possibility of bringing an action for specific performance and to balance that against acceptance of the new terms proposed and the possibility of future default. The sale has now completed.

The grant of an Option on land in Cambridgeshire to a developer
We were acting here for eight charitable beneficiaries who had been left approximately 19 acres of land which were felt to have development potential.  A regional developer was interested in taking an option on the land, having already acquired land in the area and being in negotiations with the adjoining landowner to take an option on that land.  The transaction involved a transfer of the land to one of the eight charities as nominee for all eight and the granting of an Option to the developer to promote the land through the new local development framework process with the intention of obtaining planning permission for residential development.  It involved liaison with the agents acting for the charity, both on the terms of the Option Agreement and to obtain the necessary Section 36 Report.  The likely value with the benefit of planning permission was in excess of £2 million. The developer subsequently bought the land.

The sale of land for approximately 150 houses in Dorset 
This was a transaction where the landowner and his architect had obtained a Resolution of the Local Planning Authority to grant planning permission subject to completion of a Section 106 Agreement.  The landowner wished to deal quickly with the Section 106 Agreement and so we were instructed to prepare a draft Agreement, rather than wait for the Local Authority to do so.  The Agreement covered the provision of affordable housing, the payment of contributions to highway works, the provision of public open space and certain other planning gain matters.  At the same time, the site was marketed for sale and a major house builder identified a purchaser.  The matter proceeded by way of conditional contract with the purchaser, conditional upon completion of the Section 106 Agreement and the subsequent issue of planning permission.  It involved liaison with all members of the landowner’s team – agents, architects, accountants and the landowner himself, and the value was in excess of £10 million.

The sale of land under an option on approximately 80 acres of land in Hampshire to a developer
The sale was done in stages.  There was a mechanism set down in the option agreement for the service of notices and the method for determining the price.  The transaction required a “project manager” approach, to ensure that all members of the landowner’s team worked as a team to achieve the most appropriate result for the landowner, both in terms of price and effect on the retained land.

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