After a bumpy start but ahead of schedule, the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission (or the “BBBBC”) this week published its Interim Report. Set up by the government in November 2018, the BBBBC has been tasked with “[tackling] the challenge of poor-quality design and build of homes and places” and finding a way of ensuring … Read more
Given the complexity of issues and the amounts that are typically involved in construction disputes – particularly those arising from large-scale development projects – preparing early and properly for a potential construction dispute is an important process, but one which can be time-consuming and expensive. Preparing for a potential construction dispute where a formal dispute … Read more
Often in Central London, development is to be carried out in the vicinity of a disused burial ground. A recent example of this involved minor works and the location of a temporary building on top of a disused Church of England burial ground, assumed to be consecrated land. The site, therefore, was subject to Ecclesiastical Law … Read more
The term “proceeds of crime” tends to conjure up images of popular HBO crime dramas and 1950s gambling rings. It certainly doesn’t tend to be associated in most people’s minds with subdivision of flats without planning consent. But it should be. Southwark Council have recently won a £1.2m proceeds of crime confiscation order from a … Read more
The report of the Parliamentary committee on residential leasehold reform has been published containing strong recommendations, many of them radical, and some where it is not at all clear how they could work in practice. Nevertheless, this is likely to be the future and a good commercial conclusion may be to assume that this will … Read more
Herbert Smith Freehills’ Exchange Network, a network of senior women in the London Real Estate department, recently hosted the “Healthy Buildings” panel discussion in conjunction with REWomen. Joined by over 90 attendees from the real estate industry, the panel discussed the economic drivers of well-being in the built environment, who the players are, who benefits, and … Read more
Contractor claims are an inevitable part of construction projects. Disputes are not. In order to mitigate the risk of contractor claims evolving into disputes, it is vital that they are evaluated properly and in a timely manner. Failure to do so can lead to costly and protracted disputes, which not only impact the parties’ relationship, … Read more
Over the last 18 months, Herbert Smith Freehills has been working with the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (the CREFC), a trade body for real estate debt lenders and investors in Europe, to help produce the new edition of CREFC’s due diligence guide for lenders against UK commercial real estate. The CREFC Due Diligence (DD) … Read more
