Real Estate Development

Our team advises on high-value development projects, often alongside our investment advisory services. We act for a broad range of clients, from established developers and household names, to ambitious new entrants, bringing sector insight and commercial focus to every stage of the development lifecycle.

Our experience spans regeneration schemes, complex asset repositioning and the delivery of landmark sites. We understand the dynamics of development partnerships and the importance of sustaining momentum while navigating stakeholder interests and unlocking value.

We work closely with our Planning and Construction teams, as well as our Property Litigation team, to provide joined-up advice that keeps projects moving. We are also well-versed in advising on sensitive or technically demanding developments, including listed buildings, high-profile urban sites and projects with complex occupier arrangements.

Our services include:

Residential development: we specialise in advising residential developers on large, complex high-value sites, including those integral to garden cities and eco-towns, with expertise in wider infrastructure, land and planning considerations.

Offices: advising both long-established investors and new market entrants on the acquisition, repositioning, management and disposal of prominent, high-value office buildings across the UK.

Charities and third sector: supporting longstanding clients with complex, often historical property portfolios, delivering nuanced advice that satisfies Charities Act requirements and sector-specific sensitivities.

Media and entertainment: acting on transactions in a fast-growing market, including international investment into UK studio space and production facilities, driven by high-profile demand for creative infrastructure.

Healthcare and later living: advising investor-operators on expanding and evolving operational portfolios in a sector experiencing sustained growth and investment activity.

Life sciences: supporting science and innovation-led regeneration, including repurposing existing space for state-of-the-art lab use. We act on high-profile joint ventures and multi-million pound mixed-use schemes centred around life sciences.

Data centres, industrial and logistics: working closely with our Construction team to advise on site development, energy strategy and environmental performance in this highly active and infrastructure-driven sector.

Hotels & Hospitality: our clients include established national portfolio owner operators, entrepreneurial investors and luxury developers and architects.

Recent Experience

• Advising the freeholders of prominent city build close to Leadenhall Market on its re-development led by its long leasehold partner, on matters including negotiating options agreements, a development agreement, and re-gearing the existing lease.
• Advising a private property investment fund on the acquisition of a significant two-acre development site in the heart of Oxford City Centre, with plans in place to convert the site to a £200 million mixed-use scheme.
• Advising IJM Corporation Berhad on its Innova joint venture with Network Rail’s property arm – targeting rail-side schemes across four London boroughs totalling over £3bn in development value.
• Advising a real estate investment fund on the redevelopment of a Grade II listed building in Manchester to provide a 95,000 sqft mix of premium CAT A space, fully furnished and fitted offices.
• Advising a subsidiary of one of the UK’s largest independent trade distributors of timber on the acquisition of land with a simultaneous agreement for the development and funding of a 300,000 sqft warehouse and logistics centre.
• Advising an award winning real estate developer on all aspects of a joint venture with a religious charity for the development of a 2,000 plus residential unit site in East London, with a gross development value of c.£1 billion.
• Advising Oxford Science Enterprises on a joint venture with the Crown Estate to deliver life science premises, kickstarted by the acquisition of the former Debenhams in Oxford city centre.
• Advising Delancey on property law aspects of a CPO compensation claim following six years of negotiation and development feasibility advice using experience and knowledge of over 20 years involvement on the various redevelopment proposals for a major London retail centre, culminating in a reference to the Upper Tribunal in February 2025.
• Advising a real estate investment fund on the redevelopment and re-letting of an asset in Twickenham comprising over 47,000 sqft of office space.
• Advising Chase New Homes on the acquisition of the PB Donoghue site for development into a residential scheme providing 251 homes as part of the wider Brent Cross Regeneration programme.
• Advising Jaynic Properties on Gateway 14, a 156 acre site in Stowmarket with occupiers including The Range who operate a 1.18m sqft best in class, sustainable logistics unit. Key aspects of advice include the promotion and development agreement for adjacent land.