05/09/2019

Carole Taylor, partner at property advisers, Vail Williams, offers a 10-stage process for acquiring new premises, with some helpful tips to ensure a smooth process along the way. The prospect of expanding or relocating into a new property can be daunting, but if planned effectively, and with the right advice, there’s no reason why it can’t prove to be a straightforward process. But what should you expect when leasing or buying a new property – whether office, industrial or otherwise? Stage

05/08/2019

Blandy & Blandy partner Jane Gunnell, head of the law firm’s commercial property team, looks at what HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) latest figures tell us about the residential property market and considers the Government's reported income from stamp duty land tax (SDLT) and capital gains tax (CGT). Market Activity Figures published by HMRC on April 24, 2019 showed that the number of residential properties being bought and sold in the UK rose by 1.4 per cent in March against February and that

05/07/2019

Rob Allaway, managing director of DevComms, weighs up the Thames Valley's winners and losers at the local elections and considers the impact on Local Plans and development. Brexit was a major factor nationally in the local election results and the Thames Valley was no exception. The Liberal Democrats and independents made gains across Oxfordshire and Berkshire at the expense of the Conservatives, who lost 103 seats across the two counties. However, it would appear that more localised issues

04/30/2019

Jessica Irwin and Lyssa Reeve, in Blandy & Blandy LLP’s dispute resolution team, discuss the Government's surprise announcement that it intends to repeal Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, putting an end to Section 21 notices. Currently, under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, a landlord is permitted to bring an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) to an end by serving a tenant with two month’s written notice (known as a Section 21 notice) and then obtaining a possession order from the courts. A

04/09/2019

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A;) are among the most significant activities that will take place in a business, typically to support future growth and business aspirations. They can take several forms – from a full business merger to the purchase of a specific asset or stock. In almost every M&A; transaction, a purchaser will acquire an interest, whether freehold or leasehold, in at least one property asset. However, such assets are unlikely to be the driving force behind the M&A; activity. If they

05/10/2019

One of the driving forces behind the Lexicon in Bracknell has joined planning consultancy Montagu Evans to run its new development management division. Simon Russian, previously head of development, Bracknell, for Legal & General, part of the town’s regeneration partnership with the council, is one of two key managerial appointments by Montagu Evans alongside Andrew Haughey who joined the firm in June last year to lead its asset management arm. Alan Harris, partner at Montagu Evans and head of

05/10/2019

Guildford and Woking are the two main options for a new headquarters building for Surrey County Council (SCC), part of a radical shake up that will see it sell off up to 200 buildings. The authority announced last year it would be leaving its County Hall complex in Kingston and moving back into Surrey in 2020 and at its April 30 cabinet meeting, leader Cllr Tim Oliver said a decision on its new head office will be made by July. But the new home will be much smaller. County Hall is operating at

05/10/2019

A former apart-hotel in Slough is to be extended and converted into 106 flats. Pegasus Group, on behalf of Kingsbridge Estates, secured detailed approval for the conversion of the existing building at 163 Bath Road, together with removal of the roof for a two-storey extension and an additional four-storey rear extension. The completed development will be made up of 42 studios, 52 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom flats. Pegasus commissioned Kempton Carr Croft for a viability assessment, which