INDUSTRIES
Distribution & Industrial
Property advice
DWD advise on the disposal and acquisition of freehold and leasehold industrial and warehouse property throughout the UK. Often our advice encompasses developing a property strategy involving disposal of unsuitable existing property assets and re-locating the business into fit for purpose premises.
Our detailed understanding of planning is invaluable in ascertaining the development potential of industrial assets ensuring the maximum price is achieved on disposal.
In addition to undertaking traditional valuation work for company accounts, secured lending and due diligence, DWD provide a range of specialist valuation services which include Acquisition/Disposal advice, Affordable Housing/Viability appraisals, Threshold Land Value assessments, Compensation assessments, Ransom/Marriage Value assessments, Charity sector, Option/Overage payments, lease re-gears, Rights of Light profit analysis, restrictive covenant release, Utility relocation, Riparian rights, air rights and Section 18 Landlord & Tenant Act 1927 diminution assessments.
We are highly experienced in robustly presenting our conclusions, either through negotiation or in cross examination as part of litigation proceedings and have a successful track record of providing Expert Witness evidence in this regard.
Business rates
There are a number of opportunities to mitigate business rate liabilities for distribution and industrial. We work with clients to exploit empty property exemptions and the effective date regulations. Where construction activity is involved in preparing a new site it may be possible to remove the empty rate liability completely for many months or even years.
The team has experience of managing each stage of the property’s lifetime, whether it is restacking, reconfiguration, subletting or relocation projects. Each of these events provides an opportunity to reduce the business rates overhead. Similarly, at the end of the property’s life the empty property’s rate liability we advice on different strategies dependent on the circumstances and whether the property will be held empty for a short or long term. Exemptions in excess of the statutory minimums are often achievable as are exemptions to reflect the phased vacation of space.
Planning
The team are working with some of the largest self-storage, warehousing and logistics organisations within the UK, providing planning advice and consultancy across the country.
We have secured permission for a range of industrial, storage and distribution uses, including those which push boundaries on height and density, whilst respecting the environment and communities in which they are located.
Permission has been secured on sites with a wide range of constraints, including listed buildings, Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
This has necessitated close working relationships with specialist technical consultants to assess the impacts of development and recommend appropriate mitigation where necessary.
We are well versed in the requirements to support retail and commercial applications and regularly work as part of an integrated team, providing strategic advice and reviewing advice from others to ensure that the best possible case for development is made. We prepare the planning documents to support the scheme and often also act as project managers, ensuring that applications are submitted to a very high quality and to our client’s expectations.
Distribution & Industrial
Sectors we work with
We work with businesses, charities, high net worth individuals and public sector organisations across a range of sectors to navigate the complexities of property and planning consultancy.
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