James Lawson Legal Director

James Lawson

James is a residential development specialist covering all aspects of residential development. His experience across a wide range of transaction involves acting for housebuilders, landowners and mixed use developers and private and public sector clients.

James' expertise includes acquisitions, disposals, site set ups, site assembly, joint ventures, options and consortium agreements. James often advises on schemes which are supported by grant funding and which spearhead or form part of wider regeneration project.

Experience

• Advising the owners of Douglas Mills in Bradford on the sale on the regenerated mill complex to the Department of Education for onward use as a 6^th form College, now known as the Dixons Sixth Form Academy,
• Advising Urban Splash on its acquisition, development and disposals at its award winning development scheme at Lister Mills Bradford. The advice provided ranged from advise associated with its initial acquisition from a liquidator, grant funding associated with the development scheme, mixed use site set up and oversight of plots sales.
• Advising a consortium of landowners on a £40 million sale of a 120 acre site in Nantwich to a consortium of house builders.
• Advising Taylor Wimpey on its 2020 joint acquisition (with Home Group) of an 85 acre development site in Eaglescliffe. The transaction involved advising on a collaboration agreement between Taylor Wimpey and Home Group underpinning their joint acquisition and development out of the site.
• Advising Kirklees Council on its 2021 sale of a site at Batley to Keepmoat. Advice included settling the terms of a Homes England grant funding contribution to the scheme and settling the detailed development delivery obligations on the part of the acquiring developer.
• Advising Bradford Council on its 2022 acquisition of the Kirkgate Shopping Centre. The Kirkgate Shopping Centre was in administration and was acquired by Bradford Council as part of its strategy for the regeneration of Bradford city centre and its future redevelopment as a public park and housing.
• Advising the National Trust in its disposals of various sites for onward residential development in the North West. These transactions in particular focused on securing deliverable development commitments on the part of acquiring developer and ensuring the National Trust maintained quality control on the schemes to be delivered.