OUTLOO   June 2008

A monthly e-newsletter covering Industrial, Commercial & Retail Property, in North Oxfordshire,

North Gloucestershire, South Northants and South Warwickshire. 

Published by BANKIER SLOAN CHARTERED SURVEYORS.

Acquisitions: Sales: Lettings: Lease Renewals: Rent Reviews: Planning: Rating: Management

Regional Property Helplines :  01869 338866  and  01608 652888

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

In Praise of Planners:  I was interested to read in this week's Banbury Guardian, the local weekly paper that covers North Oxfordshire and surrounding areas, a report relating to an appeal for residential development on the former petrol forecourt and associated garage at Little Bourton, nr Banbury.  For those that are interested the full decision, and the very helpful Costs Decision, will be sent to you if you send details of your full postal address to reception@centre-p.co.uk. The article in the Banbury Guardian indicated that the applicant had been awarded costs in the region of £22,000. The spokesman for the Council is quoted as saying "......the Council will reflect on the decision and also the cost matters". The members (as opposed to the professional planning officers) may also which to reflect on one sentence in the Costs Decision which reads "I find that the Council's unreasonable behaviour resulting in unnecessary expenses for the appelant, as described in Circular 8/93, has been demonstrated". I attended the Planning Committee when the decision was first made by Cherwell District Council to refuse consent.  The Planning Officers recommended the application and made it very clear to the councillors that the application met all of the Council's planning policies. The professional officers recommend it, the Chairman of the Committee recommend to his fellow committee members that they accept that advice.  The elected members decided not to.  The appeal was upheld and the Council have finished up meeting costs. I can't pretend I always agree with Planning Officers, but Councils have policies so everyone  (and that includes councillors) understands what is possible, and what is not. I will be interested to see whether the individual Councillors can now be surcharged!  Cheers... to the Officers. 

 

Advertised for the first time in this issue of OUTLOOK;

Excellent, modern industrial freehold premsies for sale, Banbury:   We have been instructed by the owners of these premises, until very recently occupied by Newtown Vehicle Rentals, to offer for sale this very attactive freehold property, on a site of very nearly ½ acre.  Our clients are seeking offers in the region of £525,000 + VAT.  For full details please see http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Newtown%20Vehicle%20Rentals.pdf.

 

Advertised for the first time in this issue of OUTLOOK;

Potential Development site, Duns Tew:  Formerly occupied by Duns Tew Kitchens, and adjacent to a mixed  residential/office development about to be started by J.A. Pye (Oxford) Limited, we have instructions to offer this site for sale at £550,000.  The site has been used for commercial purposes for the last few decades but we believe is likely to receive a residential consent in the near future. My clients are prepared to consider offers subject to planning, either for commercial or residential development.  Viewing of this site is highly recommended. For details please see http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Duns%20Tew(For%20Sale).pdf

 

Peninsular Chinese Restaurant, Oxford:   We have had excellent response from our recent internet advertising and for those who might be interested we have to date received 174 hits on this property alone in the last 14 days and are at the present time talking seriously to three parties.  We are looking to complete a transaction before the end of July.  For details see http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Peninsula%20Restaurant,%20Oxford.pdf

 

Overthorpe Road, Banbury:  For those people who are looking for an out-of-town office with some storage this is a property offering fantastic value.  Totalling 4,750 sq ft, we are seeking a rent of £32,000 per annum.  See details at http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Overthorpe%20Road(Blakedowns).pdf.

 

Open Storage Yards:  Having had very few storage yards over the years, we suddenly have three available all at once and all are generating interest. They all have their different attractions at different price ranges.  The largest is a 1 acre site which will be available in late Autumn and is located at Aynho, some 4 miles south of Banbury, immediately adjacent to the Oxford/London railway line.  This site has been used for the last four years for the UK operation of an international scaffolding company.  For details please e-mail reception@centre-p.co.uk and just write the words "Aynho Yard" in the Subject Box and details will be forwarded in the next seven days..  On Thorpe Way Industrial Estate, Banbury we have two sites, one totalling approximately quarter of an acre and has been used for vehicle storage for the last few years, and is available either short term or long term at approximately £12,000 per annum See http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Open%20Storage-Thorpe%20Way,%20Banbury.pdf . Further down the estate we have a very attractive 1/3rd of an acre site with an existing workshop and full length pit with a portacabin which has been used for an office for many years.  We are seeking a 3 or 6 year lease at an initial rent of £30,000 per annum. See http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Haulage%20Yard,%20Banbury.pdf  All of these yards we believe in their own way provide good quality accommodation and are attractively priced.

 

Former Tyre Depot, Lower Cherwell Street, BanburyI still don't understand what I've done wrong to not let this! It is a very well located unit with good parking, excellent workshop and adjacent offices at £25,000 per annum. This represents just less than £6 per square foot.  Viewing is highly recommended.

 

I could say the same about the workshop unit with first floor office on Thorpe Mead, Banbury, my clients are open to all offers and are prepared to grant a long or short term lease.  See http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Thorpe%20Mead2.pdf

 

Small workshop: The cheapest workshop I am currently offering is £6,500 pa.  It is a 1,600 sq ft unit and is in the process of being refurbished and will provide the tenant with an excellent new level floor and new entrance door capable of taking a vehicle.  It is expected that the work will be completed by the end of June. We are already talking to prospective occupiers.  See http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Aynho(JAN08).pdf

 

Feedback:  Please let us know your thoughts on OUTLOOK, good or bad.  This issue will be sent to 3,109 people and over a twelve month period I'd love to hear from all of you at least once!....please e-mail reception@centre-p.co.uk with your comments. 

 

Bilton, nr Rugby:  This is a prominent lock-up unit available immediately and will provide good accommodation either as a retail or office unit in a main road location in this busy suburb of Rugby.  See http://www.centre-p.co.uk/pdfs/Bilton,%20Rugby%20(JAN08).pdf.

 

Bristol, potential residential site in St Pauls. Anyone interested in a very small (2 apartment) development site in Bristol ?  If interested please call Ian Sloan on 01869 338866 or emial reception@centre-p.co.uk providing your full postal address.

 

ABC Guide to Banbury's Industrial Estates:  We plan to update this by 1st July and would encourage any company that has moved on to one of the major industrial estates in Banbury since January to notify us by email. For those of you who may not have seen this wonderful (!) publication which provides lots of useful information and detailed maps of all industrial estates in Banbury, then you may wish to look at the last edition (dated January 2008) at http://www.centre-p.co.uk/ABC%20Guide-JANUARY2008.pdf.

 

Property Requirement: My client who is seeking an office and store in a rural area some where between Leamington and Oxford is making good progress as far as his move is concerned. We now have a preferred moving date of April 2009, but we have no property! Details of this requirement are set out on our website at http://www.centre-p.co.uk/PROPERTY%20REQUIREMENTS.pdf. I believe this time scale will allow us to work in conjunction with a developer on a "design and build" project. Alternatively we are happy to talk to owners of existing buildings that may now be "costing" as a result of the introduction of rates on void properties. If re-construction work was to start in the near future in order to meet the needs of my client for next April, this may well allow the owner to claim void rates while the work is being carried out !

 

Whilst on the subject of rates I was interested to learn from a client that he had been made an offer that he could not refuse by his existing landlord...pay the rates on the adjacent 30,000 sq ft and he could occupy it rent free for six months + 1 day, or longer if no tenant had been found by November 2008. I suspect this may become quite common on large buildings as the financial implications of paying 100% rates suddenly becomes reality over the next few months. For those beginning to work on the 2010 Revaluation (with 1st April 2008 being the vital date) the introduction of 100% rates may yet become a major headache. 

 

Available Properties list: If you are interested, a full list of Available Properties can be found at www.centre-p.co.uk.

 

 

                                                             Edited by Ian B Sloan FRICS – 2nd June 2008

                   BANKIER SLOAN

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

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