Case Studies

Natural Environment Research Council

General Estates Restructuring


National Oceanography Centre, Southampton

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) consists of many institutes across more than 50 sites. One of these, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, has been completely restructured. This has involved closing 4 sites and establishing new research facilities in Lancaster and Wallingford.

Our work for the NERC involves lease restructuring, surrenders, disposals and the minimisation of costs in respect of retained property.

English Heritage

Business Rating


Wrest Park House

For a number of years we have acted nationally on behalf of English Heritage (EH) in respect of their business rates. Recent revaluations have seen the majority of EH's historic estate brought into assessment. We have secured excellent reductions in the rateable values across EH properties and many major historic houses are now 'nil' assessed.

We have established a scheme of valuation to facilitate alterations to rateable values across the ever-changing estate, from the historic barracks of Berwick on Tweed to the Iron Age Hill Forts at Chysauster in Cornwall.

We are specialists in the valuation and negotiation of rating assessments of unique and historic properties. We also advise the Natural History Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and Wakehurst Place, the National Museums Liverpool and several private owners of historic property.

The Crown Estate

Seabed & Foreshore and Utilities

We are the national co-ordinator for telecommunications issues across all estates and are members of the Public Utilities Working Group.

We are also the national dealings advisers to the Marine Estate: 50% of UK foreshore and majority of seabed out to 12 nautical miles (approximately 21km). We are responsible for licensing new telecommunications cables, oil and gas pipelines, and electricity interconnectors. We undertake all pipeline and cable rent reviews and assist in valuation of assets.

e-shelter GmbH, London Data Centre Campus

Data Connectivity Survey

e-shelter GmbH, the largest operator of data centres in Europe, has recently acquired a brown field site near High Wycombe, Bucks to develop Europe's largest data centre. Due to our telecoms expertise, we were instructed to prepare a data connectivity survey for the site prior to acquisition and subsequently to assist in marketing the property.

We established that satisfactory connectivity could be provided to the site within budget and to the timescale required by the client.