INDUSTRIES

Distribution & Industrial

The team regularly advise on a range of commercial developments, including town centre and out-of-centre retail schemes, warehousing, industrial and office developments. We have particular expertise in the strategic distribution, trade counter and self-storage sectors.

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

Image for Alan Vickery

Alan Vickery

Director & Head of Business Rates

020 7489 4831

Image for Geoff Bullock

Geoff Bullock

Joint Managing Director & Head of Planning

020 7489 4892

Image for Sarah Price

Sarah Price

Director (Planning)

020 7332 2111

Image for Andrew Deller

Andrew Deller

Director (Planning)

020 7332 2105

Image for Gerard Denning

Gerard Denning

Director (Valuation)

020 7332 2108

Image for Serena Page

Serena Page

Director (Planning)

020 7332 2118

Image for Hannah Thomas-Davies

Hannah Thomas-Davies

Senior Associate - Planning

020 7332 2103

Image for Harriet Swale

Harriet Swale

Senior Associate - Planning

020 3327 4729

Image for Jeff Norris

Jeff Norris

Senior Associate - Business Rates

020 7332 2112

Image for Charlie Merry

Charlie Merry

Associate - Planning

020 7355 0337

Image for Lucy Freeman

Lucy Freeman

Planner

020 7489 4832

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.

Latest Experiences

Central Park Estate, Hounslow

DWD is advising the Airport Industrial Property Unit Trust (AIPUT), part of Aberdeen Standard, on the potential release of 4.2 hectares of greenfield land from the Metropolitan Green Belt for industrial and warehouse development in close proximity to Heathrow Airport.

Experience

Festival Way, Basildon

DWD has obtained full planning permission for a commercial development scheme close to Festival Leisure Park in Basildon, Essex. The approved development comprises 2,194 sqm of floorspace for B1(c)(Light Industry), B2 (General Industry) and B8 (Storage and Distribution) uses with ancillary B1(a) office use with associated parking, landscaping and infrastructure.

Experience

Indesit, Peterborough

DWD are instructed by Indesit in respect of business rates advice. Following the cessation of fridge manufacturing on this site in 2008, Indesit vacated a number of buildings which were ultimately demolished.

Experience

Novartis, Horsham

DWD act for Novartis on business rates matters in respect of their site in Horsham. The management and execution of value appeals and exemption applications has yielded significant savings for Novartis. Following the phased vacation of the site we obtained an escalating sequence of Section 44A certificates followed by 100% empty rate relief. This resulted in empty property exemptions that ran for more than 18 months.

Experience