International law firm Gowling WLG has advised international aerospace, defence and energy engineering group Meggitt on the acquisition and development of its proposed new supersite in the West Midlands.
The £130m project at Ansty Park in Coventry, developed in conjunction with partners, will bring together a number of Meggitt's existing operations and represents a significant investment in the long-term future of Meggitt's UK manufacturing capability.
Preparations for construction of the 490,000 sq. ft. facility are now under way. It will provide a base for up to 1,000 employees, positions the business for future growth and will serve as a hub for next-generation aerospace innovation and R&D.
Mike Trainer, real estate partner at Gowling WLG, together with director Andrew Bennett, led a team that advised the aerospace business on both the land acquisition and the development of the new facility. The firm is a regular advisor to Meggitt and used its experience of advising developers, funders and corporate occupiers on large commercial development projects throughout the UK.
Mike said: "Meggitt has ambitious plans and is prepared to make this substantial investment towards achieving them, and we worked closely with the business to navigate the various elements of this deal. This is another successful deal that demonstrates our ability to provide first-class real estate advice to corporate occupiers."
Jonathan Jones, Group Property Director at Meggitt, said: "We want to create a facility "fit for the future" and we're grateful for the expertise and initiative of the Gowling WLG team, which has ensured that we have agreements in place to take steps towards achieving this. There were multiple aspects to this deal that needed a legal team experienced in developments such as this. We are now building the foundations of our new supersite."
The Gowling WLG team was Mike, Andrew and real estate associate Tammy Didehban, construction partner Richard Green with senior associate Victoria Smith and director Chris Nyland on tax.