About
Within the Housebuilder Sector, Nick is involved in a full spectrum of transactions for SME and PLC Housebuilders, including contracts conditional on planning or other matters, options, cross options, pre-emptions, overage arrangements and transfers of whole or part.
Nick utilises his involvement in the Housebuilder Sector to keep abreast of Housebuilders’ evolving requirements and uses that insight to ensure the sites his landowner and promoter clients bring to market are properly prepared and attractive to purchasing Housebuilders, ensuring any elements of deferment are structured in a market acceptable manner.In the Strategic Land Sector Nick principally acts for National Promoters, but he also assists Landowners and Housebuilders looking to secure their own long term land supply. That work has been by way of a range of Collaboration Agreements, Options, Promotion Agreements and Hybrid Agreements. Where necessary he enjoys working with corporate colleagues on the sale or purchase of the entire issued share capital in a site specific promotion SPV or other corporate structured opportunities.
Wherever possible Nick also works closely with both our Private Wealth and Agricultural Teams to assist Landowners, Estates and other Institutions to dispose of land on both a short term and long-term basis.
Nick is admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales and before joining Charles Russell Speechlys was the National Head of Strategic Land at an international law firm. He has been noted in Legal 500 as a ‘Key Lawyer’ in a Tier 1 Commercial Property Team with Historical Client Testimonial from 2022 recorded the following “In particular I would recommend Nicholas Burt; he has an exceptional attitude to the work, (extremely thorough, diligent and quick) and his clients.”
Experience
- Assisting a promoter with the disposal of strategic site that obtained hybrid planning permission for 550 homes. The property was disposed off to a PLC housebuilder by way of three phases with the usual complications around deferment and phasing being documented to both parties' satisfaction. The site was complicated further by the need to simultaneously dispose of travelling showpersons pitches and to deliver habitat and greenspace offset through a SANGS.
- Assisting a National Promoter with a full range of services, including promotion agreements, collaboration agreements, disposals post promotion, and a group restructuring. Schemes have primarily being focused in the home counties and Oxfordshire area. To assist quickly progress schemes from heads of terms to under contract, Nick developed a promotion agreement that strikes an even balance between a Promoter and Landowner’s needs. The client has approximately 6000 plots currently going through the planning process with a projected land value of £250Million and an estimated gross development value of in excess of £1Billion.
- Assisting a landowner with the disposal by way initially of a promotion agreement, and following the successful promotion of the scheme, leading on the sale of land by way of a conditional sale to a PLC Housebuilder. The site will deliver up to 500 homes, a community centre, a new primary school together with associated public space and infrastructure.
- Assisting a PLC housebuilder collaborate with a luxury later living accommodation provider in connection with the redevelopment of a Grade II* listed neo-Georgian mansion set in 79 acres of parkland that was last utilised for Government purposes. The scheme delivered in excess of 250 new homes as part of a £100Million+ redevelopment.
- Assisting a promoter with the promotion and disposal of 39 acre former industrial site. Phase 1 was supermarket led. Through multiple phases, the scheme has delivered nearly 200 homes, riverside walks and a range of retail and restaurant outlets. The site was complicated by an immediately adjacent SSSI, riparian issues and legacy compulsory purchase orders relating to the recent construction of an adjacent £42Million bridge funded by a mixture of local and central government monies.
