Case Studies & Clients
We act for a variety of specialist clients as shown below and highlight key case studies which are representative of our experience and demonstrate the specialist professional advice that we offer.
Client: The Crown Estate
Property/Location: UK Territorial Waters
Nature of advice: Task, estate management, valuation or portfolio advice
For over 15 years Powis Hughes Ltd have advised The Crown Estate in respect of electricity and telecommunications cables and oil and gas pipelines within UK territorial waters; we also assist The Crown Estate with budgeting, forecasting and valuations, work as part of a strong integrated Crown Estate and external team dealing with portfolio reporting and income forecasting. We have also provided advice in connection with offshore gas storage (both natural gas and carbon capture), wave and tidal and other innovative developments.
Client: Medical Research Council
Property/Location: Laboratory for Molecular Biology, Cambridge
Nature of advice: Advice in connection with non-domestic rates and acquisition
We are the retained Rating Advisers to the Medical Research Council. We have advised in connection with the Laboratory for Molecular Biology including providing early-stage budget estimates for the potential liability, lease advisory, negotiation with the Valuation Officer and resolution of the Rating Assessment at a level with other buildings in the locality resulting in a circa £1 million saving; it is an exceptional result given the specialist nature of this flagship building.
Client: The Pirbright Institute
Property/Location: The Pirbright Institute, Surrey
Nature of advice: General estates advice, Landlord and Tenant, strategic advice
We have advised The Pirbright Institute and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for a number of years in connection with ongoing matters at The Pirbright Institute. The Pirbright Institute is undergoing extensive redevelopment to provide state-of-the-art, modern laboratory facilities. We have worked closely with The Institute on a number of issues including future development of the campus and matters concerning commercial third-party tenants.
Client: Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd
Property/Location: Harwell, Oxfordshire
Nature of advice: Development advice, acquisition and project team membership
We have provided advice to Satellite Applications Catapult for several of their projects, including acquisition of a site and planning for development, planning consultancy and general property advice for their new Far Field Antenna Test Range and lease consultancy advice in respect of acquiring new space as they continue to expand.
Client: English Heritage and Historic Houses
Property/Location: Various
Nature of advice: Rating and other advice
For a number years we have been the retained Rating Advisers to English Heritage and have also provided advice in connection with other matters including valuation and landlord and tenant issues. We are the Retained Advisers to Historic Houses and have acted for several of the individual members particularly in relation to historic properties. The majority of advice has been in connection with rating, where we have been very successful in reducing the liabilities for members, and have established a good working relationship with the Valuation Office Agency who is responsible for setting the Rateable Values on these inevitably complex and highly differentiated properties.
