search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
commercial property


George Panteli, Andrew Farmery and Sophie Boswell


Southampton and Oxford. It’s our intention to achieve the same position in Reading,” said Farmery.


He added: “Non-national firms in local markets might be limited to only one or two specialists in each property discipline, which can affect the type and amount of work they are able to take on. Through our national network, we can usually answer whatever our real estate customers ask us to do.”


Positive about Reading


Reading faces well-documented transport challenges that hamper business and residential development, but Farmery is confident new infrastructure developments will overcome many of these issues. “Crossrail, Heathrow’s third runway and the western access to the airport are all coming. The Government has given the green light to the ‘R&D corridor’ linking Oxford and Cambridge and that should also have a positive impact on Thames Valley businesses,” he observed.


He believes Reading is approaching a tipping point regarding transport, when things have to change. “People used to feel that Reading was small enough to drive in to. I think a change in people’s attitude is coming which should speed up infrastructure improvements and increase Reading’s appeal as a place to live and work. After all, you are unlikely to drive into the centre of cities like Oxford, Birmingham or London.”


Reading’s recently refurbished Thames Tower and redevelopment around the railway station and Forbury are all close to Blake Morgan’s Apex Plaza office, so the real estate team is close to the action. Although newer office space tends to be more expensive, Farmery doesn’t think Reading risks outpricing itself compared with London. “It’s not just about cost,” he said. “The quality of life is better in Reading and the Thames Valley and I think that this is increasingly driving decisions on business location.”


Blake Morgan’s investment in the Reading real estate team is further proof of the town’s positive prospects,


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 businessmag.co.uk 27


believes Farmery. “I think we created a real buzz by expanding the real estate team and increasing the amount of legal support available for local and international businesses,” he said.


Farmery also thinks the Thames Valley ‘brand’ is strong enough to compete for business and government funding from other UK regions. “There is constant hand-wringing about the Thames Valley’s identity, but I think we already have a strong identity that’s underpinned by our proximity to Heathrow. Multinational businesses want to be located in and around Reading. There is real strength in commerce and inward investment,” he noted.


New project and cost management service


In a further sign of its intentions, Blake Morgan launched a new service in June for the construction and development industry that it believes is the first of its kind in the UK. Its project and cost management consultancy’s surveyors operate alongside real estate legal experts. The firm believes this will help it look after clients’ interests and put in place rigorous project governance during all stages of a development’s lifecycle.


“Bringing in non-lawyers represents another stage in the firm’s evolution and that of the legal sector. It’s an innovative way to best serve clients who expect a more complete service from a single source,” said Farmery. “And it highlights how Blake Morgan thinks outside the box.”


blakemorgan.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88