The ‘strong team’ at CMS provides comprehensive support to a wide diversity of clients throughout the entire asset lifecycle, from financing, development, and construction to asset management, optimisation, and eventual sale. Headed by Tanya Holt in Sheffield, alongside Mark Haywood in Manchester, the team handles fund formation and management, environmental regulations, construction disputes, and tax planning; with Holt bringing extensive experience advising large institutional investors, pension funds, banks, and law firms on financing, acquisitions, disposals, and asset management. Another key member of the team, Sarah Meldrum, specialises in investment and asset management work, particularly in the retail sector.
Commercial property: Sheffield, South Yorkshire in Yorkshire
CMS
Responsables de la pratique:
Tanya Holt; Mark Haywood
Autres avocats clés:
Sarah Meldrum; Chris Chambers; Rebecca Kitchingham
Les références
‘Full range of property, planning and development skills. Effective but pragmatic commercial negotiating effective.’
‘The CMS Sheffield Commercial Property practice field a strong team, that are capable of addressing every level of asset management and investment work. Sarah Meldrum offers strong leadership.’
Principaux clients
The University of Sheffield
Landsec
BlackRock UK Property Fund
Sheffield City Council
Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited
National Grid UK Pension Scheme Trustee Limited
Tarmac
Mace Limited
Glasgow City Council
Basildon Borough Council
Principaux dossiers
- Advising Primary Health Properties on a £170m finance facility with Barclays.
- Advising the Shareholders of Charles Street Building Group on the corporate disposal of a portfolio of c40 assets for a combined £600m.
- Advising Blackrock on a series of strategic disposals worth around £150m during the course of the year.
DLA Piper
DLA Piper advises corporations, real estate investors, energy providers, developers, and funders on real estate transactions and projects across the real estate, technology, energy, food, and retail sectors at regional, national, and international levels. The team leader based in Sheffield, Nigel Howard, brings over 30 years of experience, specialising in regeneration and corporate real estate, representing developers, public bodies, landowners, multinational corporations, and financial institutions. Another key member, Mark Keeling, handles all aspects of real estate, including sales and acquisitions, and landlord and tenant issues.
Responsables de la pratique:
Nigel Howard
Autres avocats clés:
Mark Keeling; Marc Harvey; Nicholas Rouke; Mary Barraclough
Les références
‘They have developed a good knowledge of the physical estate, and the advice they have provided on complex property matters has been exceptional. For this reason, they have been a preferred supplier on legal advice. As they are based locally as a practice, this too gives them an advantage in possessing second to none knowledge of issues within the city that influence their advice.’
‘The property team of Nicholas Rouke, Marc Harvey, and Mary Barraclough have consistently provided exceptional service and advice. What makes them standout is their ability to provide advice at short notice which is sometimes demanded, and they are thorough in the views they provide.’
Principaux clients
Blackstone
HSBC
Ibstock Plc
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Roundhill Capital
Solvay
Tata Steel UK Limited
University of Sheffield
Principaux dossiers
- Advised the University of Sheffield on multiple AMRC sites, including Broughton, where the firm facilitated letting agreements between the Welsh Government and Airbus, Samlesbury, involving Lancashire County Council and BAE, and Derby, in collaboration with the University of Derby and Derby City Council, while also supporting the University in estate management, such as office acquisitions at Sheffield Business Park and the development of The Wave.
- Advised Heygate & Sons on securing planning permission for approximately 250 acres of land at Norwood Farm for a 1,900-unit residential development with key infrastructure, facilitated the disposal of multiple phases totaling nearly £82 million to Miller Homes Limited and Vistry Homes Plc for the construction of 1,000 homes and the Sandy Lane Relief Road, and acted on the acquisition of the 350-acre Manor Farm, Grimescote for £7.5 million, along with the transfer of a separate 320-acre farm within Heygate’s ownership.
- Advised EQT Real Investments Sarl on the GBP 220 million acquisition of a 2,063-bed portfolio in Bath, Nottingham, Swansea, Bristol, and Glasgow from Watkin Jones, with the first three assets forward funded and the latter two leasehold operational assets acquired upon obtaining landlord’s consent, followed by funding the construction costs through a debt facility provided by LaSalle Investments.
Irwin Mitchell
Irwin Mitchell advises homeowners, lenders, corporate clients, and investors on specialist planning and environmental matters, real estate disputes, construction, and property tax, providing comprehensive support for all property-related transactions. The team is jointly led by James Knowles, based in Leeds, who focuses on development projects in the logistics sector, and Martyn Holland, based in Sheffield, who specialises in investment, development projects, and secured lending. They are supported by Michelle Beaumont and Anastasija Beard, recognised as ‘experts in their field’. Ben Rogers is another key member of the team.
Responsables de la pratique:
James Knowles; Martyn Holland
Autres avocats clés:
Michelle Beaumont; Anastasija Beard
Les références
‘The team has vast knowledge and experience in the education real estate and commercial property sectors, which really shows when dealing with them. The client accessed online hub is a great tool. Client care is exemplary and I have a good working relationship with the team.’
‘Michelle Beaumont and Anastasija Beard stand out to me. They are attentive and easy to work with as well as being experts in their field, there is nothing they can’t help me with.’
‘An exceptionally personable team. Real honest advice and cost management.’
Principaux clients
Henry Boot PLC
Sheffield Hallam University
Jones Lang LaSalle Limited
HSBC Bank PLC
Ferrero UK Limited
Persimmon Homes Limited
Manchester City Council
Salford City Council
Sony Interactive Entertainment Limited
Principaux dossiers
- Advised garden centre chain, Dobbies Garden Centres Limited, in relation with the disposals of multiple garden centres and Little Dobbies high street stores in line with a restructuring plan to ensure Dobbies long-term sustainability.
- Advised Darnay Properties LLP with the re-finance of two office buildings in the West End of London for a combined value of £30 million, preparing the certificates of title and negotiating with lenders’ solicitors, Simmons and Simmons.
- Advised Rula Developments Limited on the initial purchase of a site near the M1 in Sheffield from Tinsley Bridge Group, including the acquisition and leaseback of TBG’s 62,000 sq ft factory and headquarters, the sale of the factory to investor Moorfield Group, and an option over TBG’s existing warehouse, while also acquiring additional land from Sheffield Business Park to assemble an 11.7-acre site.
Shoosmiths LLP
Shoosmiths LLP offers expert guidance on all property transactions and disputes, with a focus on strategic land development, occupier issues, student accommodation, investment, and charities. Based in Sheffield, team leader Thomas Hall brings extensive experience in real estate transactions, particularly greenfield and strategic land projects. Hall assists clients with all legal aspects of the development process, from site acquisition and development to final disposals, while the ‘established’ Kate McGoverne handles matters related to asset and portfolio management with emphasis on retail and leisure.
Responsables de la pratique:
Thomas Hall
Autres avocats clés:
Kate McGoverne; Kellie Hatton; David Goy
Les références
‘I believe that this team is very good at delivering accurate information in a short period of time. Although I do not have much knowledge regarding property law in England and Scotland, the team is highly motivated and capable to explain to myself.’
‘Shoosmiths is a modern practice that is forwarding thinking and innovative but still values traditional methods of building, maintaining and developing personal business relationships, which is the cornerstone of understanding a client and their business well.’
‘Kate McGoverne is an established solicitor who is well versed in all commercial Landlord and Tenant property matters. She understands the commercial reality of what businesses need from a lease to operate efficiently and effectively.’
Principaux clients
Henry Boot Developments Limited
Taylor Wimpey
Boots Plc
Reed Smith LLP
Invesco Real Estate
Countryside Properties Plc
ITM Power PLC
Principaux dossiers
- Advising Hallam Land Management Limited on the sale of phases of a prominent multi-phase site in Eastern Green, Coventry to Countryside Partnerships and a Royal London investment fund.
- Advising Invesco Real Estate on the sale of the Platform portfolio, a joint venture between Invesco and Platform and one of the largest residential transactions of 2024.
- Advising Anglo-Dutch Property (UK) Holding Limited (Kwik-Fit) on a cross-border portfolio acquisition of 32 properties.
BRM Solicitors
BRM Solicitors represents landlords, tenants, investors, and developers on both regional and national levels, managing all aspects of their property transactions, from assisting startups in purchasing their first business premises to supporting PLCs in expansion and helping national property developers with acquisitions, pre-letting, funding, and sales. Adrian Sheehan heads the real estate team from the Sheffield office, specialising in commercial property, with a focus on acquisition, pre-letting, development, and funding of large mixed-use projects.
Responsables de la pratique:
Adrian Sheehan
Autres avocats clés:
Sanjeev Batra; Julie Carr; James Alger; Claire Mayfield-Tulip; Christopher Hey
Les références
‘Julie Carr has the valuable knowledge and experience from years of new build housing development sales and the numerous problems that can go along with them. She is then on hand to deal with any problems that arise during the selling process over and above the usual sale enquiries.’
‘Very positive, proactive and accountable approach. Excellent communication makes them appear part of our team.’
‘Personable and very commercially minded. Special mentions from this regard to Julie Carr and Adrian Sheehan.’
Principaux clients
Ackroyd & Abbott Limited
Dorsia Homes
Swan Homes
M D Construction (Bradford) Limited
Blue Deer Limited
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Reef Group on regear of pre-let and development funding for £90m 160 apartment development in the South East of England.
- Advised Woodall Homes Limited on conditional purchase of £25m GDV residential development land in East Midlands.
- Advised R Blue Regen Ox Limited on £50m landmark former department store Hotel development in Oxford.
Wake Smith Solicitors Limited
Wake Smith Solicitors Limited handle all aspects of commercial property work for a diverse client base with both local and national portfolios. Their expertise includes residential development schemes, investment and management of mixed-use projects, as well as high-profile disposals and acquisitions. The ‘attentive’ Neil Salter leads the Sheffield-based team, representing developers, property owners, occupiers, and major high-street banks in funding matters.
Responsables de la pratique:
Neil Salter
Autres avocats clés:
Paul Gibbon; Ben Spencer; Laura Saul; Thomas Wightman; Eleanor Storey
Les références
‘A thoroughly professional team who always respond swiftly and present you with all the information to help you make the correct decisions, legally. Extremely efficient company all round who can be relied upon in any situation. Hardworking, polite, top grade solicitors.’
‘In the commercial property team Eleanor Storey and Laura Saul are absolutely top class solicitors. They are both so trustworthy, efficient and knowledgeable in their field that it makes a very stressful transaction much less so. They can be completely relied upon to do their job and keep me informed at all times.’
‘I can contact Wake Smith at short notice and get a quick and sufficient response to any issues that I raise with our commercial property portfolio.’
Principaux clients
Ackroyd & Abbott Limited
Dorsia Homes
Swan Homes
M D Construction (Bradford) Limited
Blue Deer Limited