Clarke Willmott LLP

Commercial Property

Laurence is a Partner in the Commercial Property team specialising in development, regeneration and renewable energy. Laurence’s expertise includes working with national developers and public authorities in relation to complex site acquisitions and disposals including negotiation of multi-conditional contracts, development agreements as well as landowner and collaboration agreements. On the regeneration side, Laurence acts for a number of public authorities in relation to the redevelopment of their property portfolios and has extensive experience of issues that run alongside that such as procurement and grant funding. Renewables is also a key area for Laurence where he acts for both landowners and developers in the negotiation of options, project agreements and leases for wind, solar and biomass projects. His clients include Homes & Communities Agency, Bath & North East Somerset Council, The Crown Estate, Urbis Developments and Emotion Energy.

Laurence joined Clarke Willmott in 2007 after training and qualifying (in 2003) at Watson Farley & Williams. He regularly speaks at renewables-focused events to landowners, developers and public authorities.

Experience

• Working with a developer on the acquisition and phased redevelopment of a multi-tenanted shopping centre for a mixture of commercial, residential and leisure uses including the negotiation of the sale agreement and associated finance documentation.
• Acting for the Homes and Communities Agency in relation to all ongoing advice relating to the development and management of the Bristol & Bath Science Park and including advising on the flagship National Composite Centre development, a leading aerospace research and development facility located on the Park and backed by very substantial public funding.
• Acting for a solar developer in relation to a project to install solar panels on 600 units of local authority housing stock including advising on and negotiating the form of rooftop lease, direct agreement, finance lease and associated finance documentation.
• Acting for a number of private landowners in relation to solar panel projects on their (usually agricultural land).
• Acting for a private landowner in relation to the negotiation of an option and lease for a large scale wind farm project in Wales.