One of the Midlands’ leading surveyors has advised WCG on an ambitious multi-million pound bid to transform a derelict Grade II listed Georgian-styled mansion into a national training hotel.

Andrew Chapman of Midlands-based property consultancy, FHP, has provided specialist valuation advice in support of WCG’s stage two application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Moreton Hall in Warwickshire.

WCG is planning to undertake a comprehensive restoration and refurbishment of the much-loved historic building in Moreton Morrell that still bears the scars of a devastating fire in 2008. Expected to cost in the region of £8.5 million, if the application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund is successful, the project would see the creation of a boutique hotel environment, giving students the opportunity to work alongside professionals in their field.

Andrew Chapman, Director, FHP, said: “This was a highly complex valuation project due to the listed nature of the building and its location within a Special Landscape Area, where development is typically constrained. One of the main challenges in restoring a property like Moreton Hall is in ensuring that the building can not only be made fit for purpose within an acceptable budget, but that refurbishment is carried out in a way that does justice to what is an important regional landmark. Working closely with WCG’s designated project team, we are pleased to have reached a valuation that is both logical and sits within a wider body of market evidence. We hope that the application is successful in securing Moreton Hall’s long-term viability.”

John King, project manager, WCG said: “We knew we needed somebody with sufficient experience who would not adopt a ‘painting by numbers’ approach to what was a challenging valuation, with little or no direct comparison from which to draw upon.  We identified Andrew Chapman as the best person to assist us and are grateful for his skill and professionalism in arriving at a justifiable valuation that we believe bears scrutiny. We want to restore this iconic building and create a much needed high quality training venue, capable of providing the next generation of skilled employees in the hospitality and tourism industry. We are hopeful of receiving further support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to enable our vision for The Moreton Hall Hotel Training School to become a reality.”

Moreton Hall is sited on land within the Moreton Morrell Conservation Area, part of an ancient settlement first mentioned in the Domesday Book. The Hall was designed by the society architect and decorator W H Romaine-Walker on behalf of Charles Tuller Garland, son of the co-founder of the National City Bank in New York. Completed in 1908, the Palladian-style Hall included extensive landscaped grounds overlooking the River Avon, with a blue garden, rockeries, a sunken Italianate garden and a polo school.

Although some remedial works were undertaken in the aftermath of a fire, which lasted three days, the once lavishly appointed Moreton Hall suffered millions of pounds of damage, making it unusable in its current state. First used as a training facility as far back as 1939, plans to restore the Hall to its former glory are part of a larger expansion of WCG’s education programmes within its Centre for Hospitality, Heritage and Tourism Skills.

FHP is one of the largest private commercial property consultancies in the Midlands, with six offices located in Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham. Andrew Chapman has previously advised Rushcliffe Borough Council in its application for Heritage Lottery Funding for the redevelopment of the 250-year-old Bridgford Hall. He has also provided specialist valuation advice upon a wide variety of matters including Nottingham Forest Football Club and the entire property portfolio of the University of Nottingham.

For more information please contact Andrew Chapman on 0115 841 1136 / 07887 787 883 or andrew@fhp.co.uk.

Date:  29^th January 2020

The boss of a music business has praised the efforts of regional property consultants  FHP in facilitating its relocation following a compulsory acquisition.

Lincoln Downer of sound recording and music publishing firm, Hotta Flex Entertainment, has successfully reestablished his business in new premises just half a mile from its previous location in Aston Hall Road, Birmingham.

The Handsworth-based entrepreneur and community leader was forced to make the switch after Birmingham City Council compulsorily acquired the leasehold interest in the property in which his business was previously based.

Land has been cleared as part of the second phase of the huge Advanced Manufacturing Hub, a landmark scheme occupying a 49-acre site adjacent to junction 6 of the M6 motorway.

Chris Kenealy, surveyor at FHP, said: “We’re very pleased to have been able to successfully facilitate Lincoln’s move to new premises, just a short distance from his original studio. Lincoln carries out a considerable amount of work with local community groups as part of his business, including helping people with criminal records to find a new path in life, so it was vital that the compulsory purchase order did not result in having him to relocate to another area of the city.

“We’re grateful for the quick and efficient way in which our  counterparts at Birmingham City Council and its agent, Savills, have settled Lincoln’s claim. Although a clearly distressing situation for anyone to find themselves in, with the right advice and guidance in place, a CPO does not have to signal the end of someone’s business.”

Lincoln Downer said: “Chris and FHP helped me enormously in understanding what is a difficult and frustrating process. They took the time to meet with me on a regular basis to help explain the issues I faced in relocating and ultimately enabled me to find a new home that suits my business. I am extremely grateful for their level of expertise and persistence.”

FHP opened its first West Midlands office at 122 Colmore Row in Birmingham earlier this year. The property consultancy has worked on several CPO projects across the region, including claimants affected by the preparation for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Established in 1990, FHP is now one of the largest private commercial property consultancies within the Midlands, with six offices located in Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham. It offers services in sales and lettings, acquisitions, valuations, business rates, rent reviews, lease renewals, development consultancy, compulsory purchase and service charge consultancy, across the retail, leisure, office and industrial sectors.

For further information contact Chris Kenealy at chris.kenealy@fhp.co.uk

A leading commercial property consultancy has supported a Birmingham-based manufacturer in relocating to new premises to make way for the on-going development of the Advanced Manufacturing Hub in Aston.

ZHK Plastics, which produces plastic packaging products, has moved to new premises in Miller Street, Birmingham near the Aston Expressway, from its previous site at the Priory Business Centre, Aston, following a compulsory purchase order (CPO).

The manufacturer has made way for the continuing development of the Advanced Manufacturing Hub, a joint initiative between Birmingham City Council and Homes England, aimed at the advanced manufacturing sector.

The move was facilitated by leading commercial property consultancy, FHP, which specialises in assisting businesses and individuals that are being compulsorily acquired or affected by a scheme of public works.

ZHK Plastics received confirmation of the CPO in late 2017, only months before it was forced to evacuate following the discovery of a Second World War device directly opposite its premises. The controlled explosion of a German shell, weighing up to 500lb, caused significant damage to the company’s stock and an incursion of financial losses.

Andrew Chapman, Director, FHP said: “We are delighted to have supported ZHK Plastics in relocating to new premises. This was not a straightforward process as the company requires a large electrical power supply that is not readily available locally and is in high demand due to similar compulsory acquisitions in the city.

“Birmingham City Council was accommodating in that it permitted the company to remain in occupation after the property was acquired and acknowledged the complexities of relocating the business. CPOs can be complicated by unforeseen circumstances and few could have predicted the damage caused to this business by the controlled explosion. We were able to broker a solution with Birmingham City Council that has enabled us to finalise the majority of ZHK’s claim, whilst still preserving its right to pursue a claim for the devastation brought about by the bomb at a later date.”

Zakir Husain of ZHK Plastics, said: “FHP quickly grasped how our business worked and that was crucial to a successful relocation, giving us time to identify the right premises and allowing us to re-assemble equipment in stages to avoid a full shut down. It has been a traumatic time, made even worse by the bomb blast. Whilst it’s not something we would ever wish to go through again, we thank Birmingham City Council for recognising the difficulties we faced and are grateful to FHP for the knowledge and expertise they provided throughout.”

Established in 1990, FHP is now one of the largest private commercial property consultancies within the Midlands, with six offices located in Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham. It offers services in sales and lettings, acquisitions, valuations, business rates, rent reviews, lease renewals, development consultancy, compulsory purchase and service charge consultancy, across the retail, leisure, office and industrial sectors.

FHP opened its first West Midlands office at 122 Colmore Row in Birmingham earlier this year. The property consultancy, which brought two popular London-based leisure brands – Flight Club and Franco Manca – to Birmingham this summer, is working on a number of CPO projects across the region, including claimants affected by the preparation for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Contact Andrew Chapman

Email: andrew@fhp.co.uk

Valuation encompasses all aspects of professional work and it’s of paramount importance to have a broad depth of knowledge and experience in order to advise clients appropriately.

I provide extensive valuation advice, primarily within the East Midlands, for a variety of purposes. Key clients range from the majority of the major lending institutions to private individuals.

Within the Education sector, I am developing our work with Academy clients, where FHP Education has advised over 200 Academies since 2012.

Another key area of my work is in respect of Compensation and Compulsory Purchase, where in particular I have acted on behalf of a variety of claimants on schemes including the Nottingham Express Transit NET2 tram, A46 Newark to Widmerpool Trunk Road Improvement, Loughborough Inner Relief Road and the Nottingham Left Bank Flood Alleviation Scheme.

The property market is constantly changing and the economic events of recent years have clearly demonstrated the importance of open, analytical, market-informed appraisals which FHP prides itself on providing to our clients.

Jack Nicklaus once famously said that “Achievement is largely the product of steadily raising one’s levels of aspiration … and expectation”; and so it has been with the development of the Professional Services Department at FHP.

Having grown from one to nine surveyors, the FHP Professional Services Team has a wealth of experience and now provides clients with services across the Professional Services spectrum, ranging from Valuations for a wide variety of purposes to advising upon business rates, compulsory purchase and Rent Review/Lease Renewals to name but a few.

Since my arrival at FHP in 1999, I’ve been privileged to work with not only great colleagues but also some great clients with wonderful senses of humour and incredible levels of humility, despite some truly remarkable success stories. Together they have made me laugh, kept me motivated and have picked me up when times have been tough.

We would like to thank Cameron Butler for his invaluable work, advice and expertise during the compulsory purchase of our home and family butchers business. Recommended by our accountant, Cameron was outstandingly professional and, despite numerous challenges from the County Council, remained resolute during the long and technical negotiations. Without his dedication it would have been almost impossible to have undertaken these negotiations and continue to run our business. The efforts of Cameron minimised the stress of this process, for which we and our family will be forever grateful.  We would have no hesitation in recommending FHP to people in the future, as would our accountant and solicitor.

I feel indebted to Cameron Butler for his invaluable guidance and support throughout the whole process. Cameron was indispensable as our link with the Environment Agency from the outset. His skills at interacting with the E. A. to quickly address and resolve our concerns as they arose was crucial to us during the invasive disruption to our lives. The successful outcome resulted in achieving a very fair and satisfactory offer of compensation to each of us individually.

We have been very satisfied with the way negotiations on our behalf have been carried out and the level of service has been first class.