Property Development

Property Development Legal Services

Barr Ellison has built a solid reputation over the years for working with our clients to achieve enhanced value for their land through property development.

The firm has acted in many large and small scale developments, assisting clients throughout the development process from property sale or acquisition through to planning agreements, joint venture agreements, overage agreements and infrastructure issues.

Led by Kelly Peck, Barr Ellison Law handles a significant flow of real estate portfolio work, and commercial landlord and tenant matters. It is also active in a growing number of property development projects, and has a substantial practice advising landowners … and acting for developers of housing, office, business and retail park projects. The practice is ‘attentive, thorough, and efficient’. Associate Lucy Harrison ‘impresses with what she is able to take on and provides superb service’.
Legal 500 Guide 2023

Recent instructions have included:

• Barr Ellison acted for the developer of a Cambridge hotel.  The legal team handling the transaction included the provision of advice on planning consent, defending a judicial review challenge, dealing with the pre-let to the tenant and the funding agreement. The firm’s legal advice also covered all construction aspects.
• Acting for a major land-owner in relation to a section 106 Agreement involving the build out of a proposed eco-town of approximately 5,000 dwellings.
• Acting for land-owners to agree the terms of a section 106 agreement and preparing the terms of a complex sale agreement following the grant of planning consent, dealing with attendant tax issues and the ultimate completion of the multi-million pound sale.
• The successful acquisition for a local authority of a 5.6 acre field sporting facility forming part of the authority’s wider long term promotion of sporting activities with funding from the English Cricket Board. The freehold title was complex with pre-existing leases to be surrendered, a restrictive covenant to be removed and existing access rights for neighbouring properties to be resolved, in addition to VAT issues.
• A complex property sale and leaseback arrangement for a listed medical research company to re-position the company’s liabilities. These arrangements were successfully concluded to a strict timetable in order to comply with stock exchange requirements.
• In partnership with a specialist liquidator, the voluntary solvent liquidation of a multi-million pound property company and the incorporation of a number of new companies to enable operations to be restructured in accordance with the owner’s goals.
• Acting for a nationwide high street bank in relation to their property transactions in the Cambridgeshire region with values in excess of £1 million.

Barr Ellison dealt with our transaction brilliantly. There was no part of it that I would change.
Keith Carne, Bursar, King’s College

I will be recommending your property development services in the future to all and sundry.
Robert Hoar

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