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Real estate

We act across all sectors of the industry on the most complex and high profile development and investment work, joint ventures and cross-border matters, real estate fund structuring and inward investment.

Our clients are among the most active and exciting players in the real estate industry today. They range from private individuals and property companies to life insurance companies, large corporates and public bodies, based both in the UK and internationally. We advise on all aspects of real estate transactions including investment, development, planning, environment, construction, financing, asset management and dispute resolution.

Expertise:

Recent work

Stanhope plc

Advising Stanhope, backed by Mitsui Fudosan UK and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation, on its purchase of the iconic BBC Television Centre for £200m.

Legal & General

Advising Legal & General on the forward funding of both a 44 storey student accommodation tower in Stratford, East London, pre-let to Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and developed by Alumno, and a new state-of-the-art office hub in Bristol, pre-let to HMRC and developed by Salmon Harvester.

Legal & General

Advising Legal & General’s Property Income Fund in connection with the acquisition from Land Securities of the Overgate (Jersey) Unit Trust which owns the Overage Shopping Centre Dundee followed by acquisitions of the office buildings at Priory Court and Temple Court, Birmingham and First Central 200, Park Royal, London NW10.

Berkeley Homes

Advising Berkeley Homes on a number of new schemes including on the agreement with the Greater London Authority for the redevelopment of the disused 26 acre former Parcelforce Depot in Newham near West Ham Station, to include 3,500 homes and a significant number of private rental apartments.

Arora

Acting for the Arora Group in relation to the development of its Fourth World Business Centre Complex at Heathrow Airport, a 145,000 sq ft office scheme and its pre-letting to Amadeus Services; the first standalone office development at the Airport for a decade.

The Economist

Advising the weekly news, business and politics journal The Economist on its move from 25 St James’s Street, SW1 to establish new editorial headquarters at the iconic Adelphi building, WC2.

Brookfield

Advising Brookfield Office Properties on its anchor letting of 430,000 sq ft at Principal Place, London to Amazon.

Intu

Acting for Intu Properties Plc on the acquisition of three shopping centres in Derby, Sprucefield (Northern Ireland) and a 50 per cent interest in Merry Hill (West Midlands) from Westfield for a consideration of £867.8m.

More London

Advising More London on one of the largest central London development schemes undertaken in the last ten years.

Derwent London plc

Advising Derwent London plc on all legal aspects of the development and letting of White Collar Factory, Old Street Roundabout, London E1. The development comprises a combination of new and existing buildings providing 270,000 sq ft of office accommodation and 11,000 sq ft of restaurants. Tenants include Capital One, Adobe and The Office Group.

Derwent London plc

Advising Derwent London plc on the development, letting and forward sale of The Copyright Building, Berners Street, London W1. The building which is more than 100,000 sq ft is pre-let to Capita at £7.4m. The building was sold to Union Investment Real Estate GmbH for £165m.

CBRE Britannica

Advising Grant Thornton (as administrators) and ING, Deutsche Hypothekenbank and Hypothekenbank Frankfurt (as lenders) on the sale of a portfolio of eight shopping centres owned by CBRE Britannica to Kennedy Wilson for c. £250m.

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Contact

See all contacts

Anthony Burnett-Scott

 Partner
+44 (0)20 7849 2020 Email Anthony

What we think

Practical completion – easier to recognise than define

Mark Lawrence, Tom Parsons 21 Oct 2019
Practical completion is a significant landmark for any construction project, not only in terms of a build programme, but also as a trigger for a number of contractual arrangements...
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Are we there yet?

Doug Wass 31 Jul 2019
In an article for Estates Gazette, Doug Wass considers the meaning of practical completion and why it matters, including the implications of the Court of Appeal decision Mears Ltd...
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UK non-resident capital gains tax - new regime for real estate funds

James McCredie, Kirsten Prichard Jones 04 Jan 2019
Following the announcement in late 2017 of a tax charge on non-residents who make gains on disposals of UK real estate or UK real estate heavy companies and other vehicles,...
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What people are saying

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"Clients say that the firm supplies 'fantastic customer service, a real breadth of in-depth expertise and very high-quality output.'"

Chambers UK 2018

"'Macfarlanes have been a strong adviser and supporter and provide an excellent level of service,' commentators say."

Chambers UK 2018

"Macfarlanes LLP 'provides a trusted and tailored service' and 'always demonstrates a reliable accessibility and a willingness to turn documents around swiftly'"

The UK Legal 500 2017

"They are just brilliant. They know their solutions, they have great knowledge and they're nice people as well. They are easy to use, reliable and almost an extension of our company."

Chambers UK 2017

"Full-service firm with particular expertise in complex investment and real estate fund structuring. Advises on high-value sales and acquisitions as well as on a number of commercial and residential development projects, often in prime London locations."

Chambers UK 2016

"They provide range and depth of expertise, teamwork and internal co-ordination, client commitment and speed of response."

Chambers UK 2016

Awards