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Property: Law firm advises on housing deal
Harvey completes BT hub fit-out
Henley-in-Arden based commercial decoration company Harvey UK has completed the decorating and fit-out of BT's Birmingham strategic hub at Three Snowhill in Birmingham.
Almost 4,000 BT employees have begun to move into the landmark building in the heart of the city's business district. BT is taking over most floors of the 17storey building and will become one of Birmingham's biggest employers.
Harvey UK carried out all of the painting, fit-out and finishing work on the new offices, which form part of BT's ‘Better Workplace Programme.’
Harvey UK managing director Tony Harvey said they were delighted to be involved in such an exciting project on behalf of developers Overbury, which represented a new sector for the family-owned firm.
He said: It is fantastic to see BT making such a major investment and commitment to Birmingham and we are delighted to play our part in ensuring that these offices will be a fabulous place in which to work. The standard of finishing in these offices is of a very high standard.”
Established in 1966, Harvey UK is a family-owned finishing and maintenance specialist. It has a wide portfolio of blue-chip client projects including JLR, Muller, the NHS, Kier, Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Lendlease and the Royal Air Force.
Work starts on flats at St Paul’s
Work has begun on transforming an old manufacturing site in central Birmingham into new housing.
More than 300 flats are being built at St Paul’s Quarter, a joint venture by Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital, on a four-acre site in Newhall Street, formerly occupied by engineering firm AE Harris.
The scheme will also include 100,000 sq ft of commercial space, including offices and shops, as well as a new public square in the centre of the scheme.
The Galliard Apsley Partnership is also working on another scheme in Birmingham, its Soho Loop site, which will see another 750 new homes being built.
Law firm advises on social housing deal
One of the country’s largest social housing providers has transferred 180 homes and 11 flats to a firm that specialises in affordable shared ownership properties.
The deal will see the 191 shared ownership homes move from Orbit Group to Residential Secure Income plc (ReSI).
The deal represents a £16m investment funded through ReSI’s £300m 45-year debt facility, and brings the organisation’s total shared ownership portfolio to 549 homes.
Law firm Clarke Willmott –which has an office in Birmingham - advised Orbit, which has been a client of the firm since January 2019. A multi-disciplinary team was involved in the transaction.
Vicky Kells, partner in the commercial property team specialising in the affordable housing sector, helped to lead the deal.
She said: “We were delighted to work collaboratively with Orbit and Jones Lang LaSalle on this sale, which involved input from across our national social housing team, including property, leasehold and asset management, planning, corporate, charity law, tax and employment.
“It was great to support Orbit through the sale, which was part of its portfolio densification strategy, driving operational efficiencies for Orbit and supporting the delivery of more affordable new homes.”
Kary Withers, managing director of Clarke Willmott’s property services division, said: “This was a great outcome for our client and a fantastic effort by our multi-disciplinary team who worked hard to get it over the line.
“We look forward to continuing working with Orbit in the future.”
Shared ownership allows a purchaser to buy a property with a lower deposit requirement and lower annual costs, making the homes more affordable.
Hand-over: Graham Workman and Phil Morgan from Living Space, Sue Carpenter and Anne Murray from Accord and Zoe Jones from Waldeck, a consultancy assisting with the project
Affordable homes handed over
Living Space Housing has handed the first tranche of homes over to Accord Housing at a new development located off Stadium Way, Hadley, Telford.
A total of 26 affordable homes are being constructed at the 1.3acre brownfield site, which has a development value of £3.6m.
All of the homes on the development are affordable rent. The development land borders Hadley United Services Bowling Club and was previously used as a camping and caravan centre.
The scheme is the result of partnership with Telford and Wrekin Council, which received £884,000 funding from Homes England.
Paul Breen, commercial director at Living Space, said: “Delivering handcrafted new homes while keeping everyone socially distanced and safe has been no easy feat.
“All the project team is delighted with the quality of the street scenes that have been created here, which has regenerated and brought new life to this brownfield site.
“Having handed over the first tranche of homes, we are now working at pace to complete all the remaining works, so that all 26 affordable homes can be ready for occupation.”
Living Space secured planning consent in late 2019 to develop the 14 two and three-bedroom houses and 12 one and two-bedroom apartments.
Sue Carpenter, senior regeneration officer at Accord, said: “We are delighted to complete these much-needed high-quality affordable homes for local people. There is a high demand for new housing in Telford – this scheme will deliver an affordable option for families and individuals looking to rent, helping to meet local housing demands and create happy homes.”
Solihull-based Living Space Housing was launched in 2019 and is currently constructing seven affordable housing developments across middle England, with a number of additional sites in the planning system.
Three of its live sites are in Telford. The combined construction value of its development portfolio is in excess of £72m, which equates to 580 affordable houses, apartments and bungalows.
