OUTLOOK September 2007

An e-newsletter covering Industrial, Commercial & Retail Property, in North Oxfordshire, North Gloucestershire, South Northants and South Warwickshire.  Published by BANKIER SLOAN CHARTERED SURVEYORS.

REGIONAL PROPERTY HELP LINE: 01869 338866

Acquisitions: Sales: Lettings: Lease Renewals: Rent Reviews: Planning: Rating: Management (28)

Please "forward" to any friends or colleagues you think may be interested and hopefully they will reply directly to us saying "YES PLEASE" and we'll add them to our register. Our e-mail address is reception@centre-p.co.uk

Welcome to September.....your holiday is behind you, most schools are back this week, and the beach and the sunshine may already be a distant memory.     Its time to think work again!

Overthorpe Road, Banbury: We have instructions to offer on a new lease this excellent modern factory, having a ground floor workshop of 3,000 sq ft and high quality first floor offices of 1,300 sq ft on a new lease at £28,500 per annum. We are in the process of preparing details and these should be available within the next 48 hours. If you are interested please e-mail reception@centre-p.co.uk .

Freehold Lock-up premises: This will probably generate more interest than anything else in this OUTLOOK!!  Within 48 hours we are expecting our clients to confirm instructions to sell this attractive modern well-located village property which should be of interest to either an owner/occupier or an investor. We estimate its current rental value to be £7,500 - £8,000 per annum and we are expecting to sell the freehold based on £102,000. If you wish details please e-mail reception@centre-p.co.uk  and you need just write the words "lock up unit" in the subject box and as soon as these details are available we will forward them to you. I hope by the end of the week they will also be on our web-site...although by then it may well have been sold.  The smaller investor  owner / occupiers will love this property !

Banbury Town Centre Unit: At the other end of the scale we have a badly located, difficult to access, undecorated town centre warehouse which we still  believe will be of interest to a variety of people for storage or possibly as a leisure activity (such as a "Pool Hall"). It has a ground floor of just over 1,400 sq ft with a rather rickety first floor "portacabin" office unit of 320 sq ft. To reflect the quality of this interesting unit we are seeking a rent of only £6,500 per annum. Luckily for those who wish to view it is in a slightly better state now than when I first viewed it a week ago. At that stage as I opened the doors even the resident flies decided it was time to leave!

OH ...don't forget EPWELL FETE  this coming Saturday, September 8th.  You can start the day by coming on The Three Hills Walk, starting at 10.00am  and you will be back in time for the Fete at 12.00 noon.  All is in aid of a local Charity...and I'll be around...and here's my offer.  Introduce yourself to me, bring me a copy of the front page of this OUTLOOK, with your name and e-mail address written on the top ...and I'll donate one pound for each person who makes this presentation...this can include anyone aged 18 +  who turns-up.  (Epwell is a lovely village approx 5 miles due west of Banbury...for those interested the post code is  OX15 6LF....now you have no excuse!). Small print: Limited to 100  !

Moreton-in-Marsh :  We are pleased to be able to offer 2 traditional workshops which can vary in size from 2,500 sq ft to 3,750 sq ft, at rents based on £5.50 sq ft/pa.  Both units have roller shutter doors and one has an office.  Also available on the same site is a superb refurnished office at £150 a week which would suit up to eight people.  This could be divided.  If you are interested please telephone BANKIER SLOAN on 01608 652888. 

Planning Appeals : There are two interesting planning appeals that I should draw to your attention. One is the auction house appeal  decision at Cotefield Farm, Bodicote, Banbury - full details of which are available at http://cherweb.cherwell-dc.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/04724137.pdf . Those who live locally will have seen from the press that the Inspector supported Cherwell District Council's belief that an auction house was fundamentally retailing and therefore should be in the town centre.

Cherwell Council however have lost an appeal on one on our clients properties on Beaumont Road Industrial Estate where the Planning Inspector supported the applicants view that the property would be suitable for a Children's Soft Play area. This decision is available at http://cherweb.cherwell-dc.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/04728554.pdf . The Inspector has made it very clear that this is a  one-off decision, and should not be taken as a precedent that D1 uses are to be made available in other out-of-town locations. I will however leave greater minds in both the planning and the legal field to decide how to interpret the small print. Two interesting thing about this property are that at 7,200 sq. ft it will make it a very substantial play area,  and secondly the property also has off-street parking for over 35 vehicles.

Office premises, North Bar, Banbury: We are pleased to report that completion took place last week of the sub-letting of premises directly behind the Banbury Guardian. Bankier Sloan received instructions to market these premises, which have been vacant for a number of years,  earlier this year and we eventually had 3 parties who were  keen to take occupation.

'Brown-field' site Aynho:  Clients of ours have just submitted an application to construct four detached houses (only about 1,000 sq ft each)  on a site ajdacent to the railway and canal in Aynho, South Northants.  They would like to hear from anyone interested in this site, for outright sale, or a JV . Please send an e-mail to reception@centre-p.co.uk and just right 'Aynho Resi' in the 'Subject Box' and send us your full postal address and we'll let you have a copy of the plans. 

For full details of available properties remember to keep an eye on  www.centre-p.co.uk , many people have added this to their 'Favorities' list...we hope!

Continuing search for accommodation in Banbury: We are still searching for a property having a total area of between 4,000 - 6,000 sq ft with at least half on the ground floor. We also need parking for at least 8 vehicles…but here comes the difficult bit, we want it located in Banbury, south of the Police Station, north of Adderbury, west of the railway line and east of Banbury School (a very small area south of Banbury town centre). Freehold or leasehold.

New property search: We have been instructed by clients to acquire two premises, one in Brackley and one in Buckingham. In both cases we would like them to be close to the town centre and they need to have a ground floor area of between 750 - 2,000 sq. ft. We are looking for a leasehold property and are prepared to take agreements from between 2-5 years. Our clients are an established locally based company who will offer a good convenant to a prospective landlord.  If you can help with either of the above please let us know at reception@centre-p.co.uk

Steeplejack: I have a requirement for a steeplejack. My clients have a 80+ foot chimney in Moreton-in-Marsh and we wish to carry out some work on the very top. We would be grateful for any information or any recommendations for a suitable contractor. Please e-mail reception@centre-p.co.uk .

Planning. A reminder to all that the way we make planning applications will be changing nationally from the 1st October.  For those looking for more information I refere you to www.cherwell-dc.gov.uk/planning/1app.cfm  There will be one standard form (hurray I hear you shout) and most local authorities have had "presentation days" explaining to those professionals interested how it is going to operate.  The only problem with a couple of authorities is that they decided to hold these in the middle of August right in the midst of the holiday season, and presumably at a time when many of their own planning officers were on holiday. I am hopeful that they may hold more such events in the next couple of months, possibly prior and if not immediately after the new system has become operational.

A solicitors tale: As you may know we recently sold (July 17th) on behalf of  a client a property in the  High Street Banbury and I got paid my fee by my very loyal client on 20th July (thank you sir if you are reading this!) . I was therefore quite shocked to see a remarkably late e-mail dated 23rd August (yes I mean August) from the clients solicitor stating "Dear Sir, I confirm that completion of the sale of 11 High Street took place on the 17th July and that the keys can now be released." Details of this firm of Brighton based solicitors are available on request.

STOP PRESS - Monday 3rd September 2007 - 9.00am: I have just received a note that Rugby Borough Council are holding a presentation of the new planning system on Thursday 13th September between 5.00pm - 6.30pm "the presentation will cover the 1AAP process and its effect on the submission of planning applications". If you wish to attend you need to e-mail Michelle.Empy@rugby.gov.uk

Edited by Ian B Sloan FRICS – 3rd September 2007

BANKIER SLOAN

Edited by Ian B Sloan FRICS – 28th June 2007

The longest established Chartered Surveyors in the region dealing exclusively with Industrial, Commercial & Retail Property.

North Oxfordshire, North Gloucestershire, South Northants and South Warwickshire.

Deddington 01869 338866   -  Brackley 01280 700756

Moreton-in-Marsh 01608 652888  -   Coventry 02476 545556