Investment projects

Crawley – Midland House, 117-119 High Street

• Client: Luton BC
• Value: £4.3M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco introduced this property to LBC. Following a detailed appraisal of the property, the surrounding areas, discussions with the tenant and the vendor, LBC purchased the freehold interest, advised throughout by Camplin Bianco. the property comprises a modern office building let to a regional firm of solicitors and comprises some 18,500 sq ft along with 70 on-site car parking spaces.

West Malling – Capita House, 2 Abbey Wood Road

• Client: Luton Borough Council
• Value: £4.2M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco introduced this property to LBC who subsequently purchased the very long leasehold investment. The property comprises a modern office building of some 21,000 square feet on this prime office park located close to Maidstone in Kent. The entire building is let to Capita and used as a data centre.

Camplin Bianco acted throughout the process to secure this investment for our retaining client.

Chatham – Xchanging, 2 Walter Burke Way

• Client: Luton Borough Council
• Value: £5.04M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco identified this sale and leaseback opportunity for our clients LBC. The office building is a modern unit of some 25,000 square feet located on the Chatham Maritime regeneration area. the building is let on a new 10 year lease to Ins-sure Services Ltd and will provide a good long-term investment for LBC.

Camplin Bianco acted to introduce and negotiate the purchase for our client.

Slough – Cornwall House, 55-57 High Street

• Client: Grainmarket Asset Management/Slough JV LP
• Value: £3.5M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco acted to find and purchase this office investment for GAM. This building is centrally located in Slough close to both the main shopping areas and the station. The building is close to being vacant and will therefore meet with our client’s strategy of buying office buildings ready for conversion to residential. Camplin Bianco acted to find, introduce and negotiate the purchase of the freehold interest. We are also involved in on-going negotiations with Slough BC over a leasehold element of the secondary car park.

Milton Keynes – Walnut House, Blackhill Drive and The Grange and 2 Grange Court, Old Wolverton

• Client: Luton Borough Council
• Value: £2.395M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco acted for LBC in the acquisition of these freehold office buildings, subject to a sale and leaseback to TXM Recruitment Ltd. The buildings, totalling some 15,100 square feet, are located on a business park to the north-west of the town centre and for the HQ of this national recruitment business.

Camplin Bianco acted throughout in the introduction, negotiation and purchase for our retaining client.

High Wycombe – Westfields House, London Road

• Client: Grainmarket Asset Management/High Wycombe JV LP
• Value: £3.45M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco introduced this freehold multi-let office building close to the centre of High Wycombe to GAM. the building arranged on ground and six upper floors comprises some 27,000 square feet of offices. The location, overlooking a park and playing fields and yet close to the station make it an ideal location for redevelopment into residential.

Camplin Bianco acted throughout and have subsequently negotiated the early surrender of four leases held by Staples, the office supplies company, for whom it was their UK headquarters.

Hemel Hempstead – Vislink House, 27 Maylands Avenue

• Client: Luton Borough Council
• Value: £2.85M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco introduced and acted for LBC throughout the purchase of this freehold two storey business unit. The property, comprising some 27,000 square feet, is located on the well-established Maylands Business Area, in close proximity to J8 of the M1 Motorway. This purchase provided our client with a well let higher yielding investment in a first class business location.

Camplin Bianco acted throughout the purchase.

Farnborough – York House, 49-53 Victoria Road 

• Client: Grainmarket Asset Management/Farnborough JV LP
• Value: £2.00M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco acted for GAM in the introduction and purchase of this short let office building, situated in the centre of Farnborough. The tenant had already vacated at the time of the purchase and an agreement was put in place for their early surrender. GAM have purchased the property with the intention of converting the offices to residential and with the added possibility of further development in spare car parking land.

Camplin Bianco acted for GAM thoughout the purchase process.

Ashford, Kent – Kier- Retail Park, Romney Marsh Road.

• Client: Kier Property
• Value: TBC
• Detail: Camplin Bianco is instructed to provide strategic development, investment and leasing advice in respect of this c.8 acre site owned by Kier Property. This site is located directly opposite the McArthurGlen Ashford Outlet shopping centre and close to Ashford International railway station. A planning application is due to be submitted in early 2015 for a c. 80,000 sq ft retail park with a start on site projected for early 2016. The scheme is likely to be anchored on a DIY Store, a Discount Food outlet,  Drive thru and A3 Restaurants. Camplin Bianco continues to provide development and letting consultancy to Kier Property.

Chichester – 43-50 East Street

• Client: Kier Property
• Value: £13.5M
• Detail: Camplin Bianco were appointed to give advice relating to the potential sale of this completed freehold retail development. The property, forming part of the original Shippams Paste factory in the centre of Chichester, comprised two substantial retail units let to New Look and H&M with retail sales on both ground and first floors. Above were residential units sold off to a local Housing Association. Although the development was located at the end of the traditional retail pitch, it had been favoured by these two significant retailers because it provided large modern retail untis, something that is not generally available in the centre of Chichester. Camplin Bianco were subsequently appointed to dispose of the investment and did so to clients of Henderson.

Ashford, Kent – Ashford Retail Park           

• Client: Local Authorities Mutual Investment Trust
• Value: £14.25m
• Detail: Camplin Bianco provided development consultancy and strategic investment advice for this LAMIT owned, prime retail warehouse asset. As development manager, Camplin Bianco appointed and managed the professional team which secured a number of alternative planning consents, based on defined tenant requirements, to maximise the investment value whilst retaining the valuable existing Open A1 planning consent. These consents increased floor area, and widened the potential tenant demand. As a result of this achievement, our clients instructed us to dispose of their investment, complete with latent development opportunities. Camplin Bianco achieved a sale to an institution at a price well in excess of asking terms.

Swindon – Canal Walk and Bridge Street

• Client: Local Authorities Mutual Investment Trust
• Value: c £22m
• Detail:  Camplin Bianco identified the opportunity to improve this holding for LAMIT, which was physically challenged by changes in street level as well as poor configuration and size of units. These issues were compounded by short lease expiries and tenant mix issues. We were instructed to act as development managers and as a result appointed the professional team to procure an investment and development strategy.  This included negotiating a joint venture partnership leading to the grant of a planning consent to add value through a complete redevelopment, creating six prime retail units. Camplin Bianco were also instrumental in the leasing to tenants including HSBC, Vodafone, Costa and others. We were subsequently instructed to dispose of the investment to an institutional investor.

 

Witney – Station Lane

• Client: Minns Estates & Leda Properties
• Value: c£5m
• Detail: Camplin Bianco  provided pre-development consultancy and leasing advice for this 20,000 sf retail warehouse scheme, on which planning consent was granted in 2011. Camplin Bianco subsequently arranged the letting to Poundstretcher. Construction of the unit was completed in 2013 with Poundstretcher opening shortly thereafter in May 2013. Camplin Bianco continue to advise the clients who holds this property as an investment.

 

Bristol – 44 Park Street

• Client: New Mercury Properties
• Detail: Camplin Bianco have provided consultancy advice in respect of this mixed use property. We have initiated rent review and lease renewal proceedings, managed a substantial refurbishment program and dealt with on-going landlord and tenant relations, over a period of years.

 Twickenham – 28-30 Queens Road

• Client: Executors of an Estate
• Detail: Camplin Bianco were appointed to act on behalf of the Executors in respect of this pair of residential properties. The buildings were sub-divided into seven flats and our initial brief was to consider the future for the property as an investment. We brought in specialists to look at the condition and also with regards to potential values going forward based on various different scenarios, reporting to the client on the different opportunities. Camplin Bianco were subsequently instructed to obtain sales advice and were responsible for appointing and then supervising the agent and whole sales process.

Marlborough – Ailesbury Court, 6 High Street

• Client: Porter Property Fund
• Detail: Camplin Bianco were invited to give consultancy advice and asset management input into this property which forms part of a larger portfolio. The property comprises three interlinked office buildings built or largely re-built in the late 1980’s. In the case of two of the buildings, There were imminent lease expiries and following advice from us, the client has obtained planning consent for the redevelopment of one of the buildings to form 9 flats. Our advice encompassed a thorough investigation of the different markets in Marlborough to determine the most advantageous way forward and one which minimised both loss of income and void as well as preparing appraisals for future development and consulting with local residential agents to obtain the right level of advice to enable decisions to be made.

Yateley – West House, Plough Road

• Client: Porter Property Fund
• Detail: Camplin Bianco were instructed to provide consultancy advice in respect of this property, the upper parts of which comprised 10,000 square feet of office which had remained vacant for a number of years. We were involved in instructing the architects, planning consultants and providing local agency advice, all of which lead to a planning application and subsequent consent for conversion into 11 one bed and two studio flats. We were subsequently instructed to dispose of the site with consent and marketed and negotiated the sale to a local residential developer, who is currently undertaking the development. Camplin Bianco continue to provide advice regarding the remainder of the client’s holding at that location.