Residential Development

Hollybrook

Birketts represented Hollybrook, an urban regeneration specialist, in the acquisition and development of Transport House in Dagenham. This project involves transforming a former office block site, previously occupied by Unite Trade Union, into 149 residential apartments. The development required a complex site assembly, including acquiring land from Premier Inn with undercroft leaseback arrangements for a new car park and temporarily relocating an electricity sub-station. This project marks Hollybrook’s second collaboration with BeFirst, following their successful development at Chequers Lane, Dagenham, where we also acted for Hollybrook.

Platform Housing

Birketts acted for Platform Housing on the acquisition of 136 affordable units from a national housebuilder, allocated via the S106 Agreement. The acquisition was particularly complex due to the structure of the deal comprising a Golden Brick and Development Agreement, on the back of a Build Lease with a local authority, and the housebuilder not having ownership of the land. Step in rights were required under the Development Agreement and Build Lease and our Construction Team was heavily involved in regards to advice around the collateral warranties and warranty provider.

Norfolk Homes Limited

Birketts have acted for Norfolk Homes Limited on a number of conditional and unconditional site acquisitions. A recent highlight was a purchase (as part of a consortium also including a national and a regional housebuilder) of a 1560 unit site in Norfolk, involving complex nutrient neutrality provisions, deferred consideration, overage and partitioning.

Hill Residential Limited

Birketts advised Hill Residential Limited entering into a complex hybrid promotion/option agreement with a multi-generational landed estate for a residential lead development project for a new housing settlement around the estate’s existing commercial complex. The transaction was complicated for a variety of reasons which included the complicated title and the negotiated contractual provisions for pre-emptions, overage, infrastructure arrangements and tax suspension.