Freeths advises top 10 UK housebuilder on historic Boots site acquisition

Located on Thane Road, Beeston, the land sits within the 286-acre Nottingham Enterprise Zone and Alliance Boots Campus, which formed part of the health and pharmacy chain’s operational headquarters where it developed and manufactured the Ibuprofen painkiller during the 1960s.

A leading UK housebuilder and an established client of Freeths, Keepmoat will now look to deliver more than 600 high-quality, multi-tenure new homes over a period of six years.

Over half of the new homes will be delivered on behalf of Platform Housing, one of the largest housing associations in the Midlands, for affordable rent, and shared ownership.

To meet the size, complexity and timescales of the project Freeths put together a cross-disciplinary team comprising more than 25 lawyers, headed by Freeths’ Partner and Regional Lead for Real Estate in the Midlands, James Hart, and led by Sarah Rowe and Holly Chadwick (Social Housing), Julia Lock (Real Estate), Mark Bassett and Louise Burnett (Planning) and Ben Derrington (Environmental Law).

Commenting on the deal, James Hart said: “It has been a privilege to work with the Keepmoat team on this historic acquisition which has been a collaborative effort throughout.

“The deal really demonstrates our capabilities within the housebuilding sector, the breadth of our national practice and the capacity we have within the team to get complex deals done quickly. We look forward to working with Keepmoat and their partners on the progression of the site.”

Tristin Willis, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat, East Midlands, added: “This is the latest installment in our investment within the Nottingham region. Acquiring the historic Thane Road site is extremely significant for Keepmoat and the Nottingham region where we will be delivering over 600 high-quality homes over the next six years. We are grateful to the team at Freeths for supporting us throughout the acquisition process and the forward sale to Platform.”